Burning Barrier (Mass Effect Barrier Book 3)
by LJAndersen
Summary: The Council Summit is days away. For Commander Shepard and Kaidan Alenko, so is the destruction of everything they've sacrificed to save. Though they've gone their separate ways, they'll need to work together and call on friends if there's a chance to win. Overcoming impossible odds has always been daunting, but needing to overcome them together may be even harder.
1. Chapter 1

Burning Barriers

(Barrier Book 3)

Chapter 1

"I agreed to it. I'll stick to what I said." Kaidan leaned forward on the desk in his room on Jump Zero.

Taccus's image flickered in the terminal's hologram. It had been a few days since he'd seen the Spectre and Shepard's condition had turned the corner. It felt like a lifetime ago. Taccus sneered and released a hiss.

"Alenko, your word is worth nothing."

"I agree, Taccus. I've devalued it, but I don't mean for it to be worthless."

"You're going to do whatever the hell you want to do anyway. You want some sort of blessing? You're not getting one."

Kaidan sat back. "Fine. I'll do what we agreed. Ursul is unavailable. I'll stay away."

Taccus narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. "There's no accountability. Do what you want to do."

Kaidan stifled a growl. He couldn't expect any different though. If their roles were reversed, Kaidan would trust him as much as Taccus was trusting Kaidan now, which wasn't much.

"How's the jaw?" Taccus asked.

Kaidan reaching up to touch it but stopped himself. Taccus watched him wryly.

"Uh … good. Thanks for asking."

Taccus snorted and dropped his arms. "Look, Alenko. I know you played some part in Ursul's survival. I regret sending her after you. But, regardless of that and despite Commander Vega's unexpected ballistics recovery supporting your theory of events, despite all that … the situation hasn't changed. Don't compromise things. Shepard needs to be questioned before anyone muddles her testimony with outside details, not just you but anyone. It's immensely unfortunate that Ursul isn't there to head things. As is, we'll make due with comms and the Alliance Internal Security detectives. Do what you want, Alenko. I can't stop you, but that's where I stand on it."

Kaidan frowned. "I wouldn't have contacted you if I planned to just do whatever I wanted, Taccus, but I see where you're coming from. I get it. I leave tomorrow anyway."

Taccus shrugged. "Whatever you say, Alenko. We done?"

"We're done."

Taccus paused. "Commander Vega recovered the Mass Effect shard too."

"I heard."

"Hmm," Taccus looked at him. "Good timing. He said he found it in the Normandy's cargo bay. A few hours, it could have gone out with the waste outside Gagarin."

"Fortunate."

"Extremely," Taccus said. "I bet Commander Vega will have that recovery on his record. Probably get good credit for it."

Kaidan shrugged. "As he should."

Taccus eyed him and then straightened. "See you back on Earth then." He reached forward and his image flicked off.

Kaidan stood. He grabbed a datapad from the desk and snatched a couple shirts off the floor. His bag gaped open half packed on the foot of his bed. Kaidan stuffed more clothes and an extra pair of boots into the bag, half zipped it, and dropped it on the floor.

He couldn't see Shepard then. It was just as well. He was leaving in the morning on the Balmoral anyway. Shepard was still sedated, but Miranda had started to wean her off. Kaidan let out a long sigh. Still, he was disappointed. She was alive though. He could see her later. There wasn't any harm in waiting besides straining his patience. It was a good problem to have. A problem he'd have given anything to have and now he did.

He checked the time on the terminal in his room and paced. He'd already talked to the Council. The Alliance investigators had cross examined him twice over the attack at the warehouse. Kaidan had already checked in on Ursul. She was resting both times but looked good, if he could tell what did and didn't look healthy for a turien.

Kaidan had gone through the asari assassin's things. The Alliance investigators had watched as he looked through her luggage, messages, and datapads. She was really was the mercenary assassin and poisoner that had killed the primarch and behind those other hits, but aside from confirming that there wasn't anything of tremendous use. There weren't any encoded orders or clues that could lead back to her contractor. He'd hoped to at least find a poison sample to definitively tie her to Terra Firma, but she seemed to be fresh out of Terra Firma's cocktail of choice. That, or it was hidden somewhere they'd maybe never find.

A lot of resources had been used to get her here undetected. No doubt she hadn't intended to engage anyone openly though she'd obviously been capable. It wasn't like he, the prisoners, or anyone else she poisoned would be mistaken as a natural or accidental death. If being subtle wasn't about covering up murder, then it had to be about not being caught. No doubt for her own sake, but probably in her employer's interest too. She'd mostly succeeded keeping under the radar until the risk outweighed the benefit of being covert. She must have suspected he'd taken something off the ship and saw a good opening when he slunk into the empty warehouse. She'd killed so many. He was lucky to be alive.

His sat on his bed. His eyes moved over the gray walls, the low ceiling, and outdated metal furniture frames. All that aside, he was here - the endless stretches of cold, dark corridors, corroded bulkheads, and stale smelling life support system. It still shocked him to realize he was on Jump Zero. Now though, it had more good than bad memories. Shepard was alive. That memory alone eclipsed all the ghosts of past memories.

XXX

"She's still unconscious," Miranda said blinking dull eyes at him and covered a yawn with the back of her hand.

"Were you sleeping in here?" Kaidan stepped further into the hospital lounge.

Miranda hung over the edge of a couch leaning on a folded pillow. She sat up.

"She weaned off the sedative two hours ago. I want to be on hand in case …"

Kaidan slowed. "In case of what?" He crossed his arms.

"Don't get worked up. It's just _in case_."

"Okay. Well," he paused, "Good night then." He moved back to the door.

Miranda's head eased back onto the cushion as Kaidan left. Long as Shepard was still out, he wasn't breaking any promises. He trotted to Shepard's room. Lighting flickered slightly overhead in the still hallway. It was the middle of the night practically, a few hours before his scheduled departure.

Shepard's hospital room doors parted. She lay asleep on the bed in front of him. Kaidan took a step in before he caught the movement by her bedside. Liara sat on a metal chair facing the bed. Her head turned partway to see him, profile silhouetted in the night cycle lighting. He hesitated then walked further into the room. Liara turned back to Shepard sitting rigidly with hands folded tightly in her lap. Her eyes fixed on her hands as Kadian stepped up beside her. He hadn't seen her since Shepard's recovery, since being together in the old Jump Zero auditorium. Heat rose up his neck, and his heart picking up pace. He took a deep breath.

"Hey, Liara."

"Hi, Kaidan."

She didn't look up, just spread her hands out on her skirt and studied them before refolding them on her lap again. Kaidan crossed his arms and looked at Shepard. Blood flushed her skin with a bright pinkness. Each breath in and out looked strong. She looked peaceful.

"Here." Liara held a datachip up in her fingertips. She kept her eyes straight ahead on Shepard and waited for him to take it. He hesitated then plucked it from her hand.

"The code?"

"All that I could get of it, but I think it's almost all there."

Kaidan turned the datachip over in his fingers. "Thank you."

"The chemical formula from the syringe you found, it's there too."

He'd forgotten about that. The loss of the code had overshadowed everything else.

"Were you able to …"

"It's an unknown chemical formulation. TCM would be likely be a metabolite byproduct. It's a tranquilizer of some sort."

"Tranquilizer?"

"Yes." She looked up for the first time. "The amount in the syringe would only have sedated an adult human. A much larger volume would be needed to arrest respiration. Taken orally, it's much more lethal."

Kaidan nodded quietly still turning it over in his hand. He glanced down. She was still looking at him. His throat clenched. He looked away.

"Thanks." He stuffed it into a pocket.

"Kaidan …"

"I don't want to talk about it, Liara."

She looked down at her lap again. He moved back to the wall next to the door. The metal wall cooled his back as he rested against it and crossed arms. Liara's profile turned to watch him for a moment then turned back to Shepard. Heat pulsed in his face. He was letting it get to him too much. It was the rawness of it, the exposure of everything inside laid bare - every intimate memory, thought, emotion, his, hers. So close, more than intertwined. One. And the feelings … His heart raced. Maybe he should just go back to his room.

Shepard gasped. Metal scraped on the floor as Liara lurched out of her chair. Shepard gasped again, and Kaidan stood away from the wall. Liara hung over her and rubbed her arm. Shepard's eyelashes fluttered as she squinting in the light. She took another sharp breath. Kaidan stumbled forward a step then stopped himself.

"Shepard? Shepard, can you hear me?" Liara asked.

Shepard's eyes widened then slowly slipped closed again.

"Shepard?" Liara whispered.

Her eyes flashed open. Her mouth opened taking loud gulps of air. She reached a shaky hand up to cover her face.

"Are you okay?" Liara asked leaning in closer.

"I'll get Miranda." Kaidan rushed to the door.

"Kaidan."

Kaidan stopped short. Shepard raised her head off her pillow and blinked droopily at him through her fingers. She reached her hand out to him. Kaidan bolted to her. Her fingers flexed at him until he reached the side of the bed and clasped them. The pillow cushioned around her head as she rested back. Her hooded eyes staying on his face as they drooped shut and finally closed. He glanced at Liara. Light reflected in her wide eyes as she stared at him. She turned back to Shepard, touched her face, and then stepped back.

"She's out again, I think."

Kaidan's fingers tightened on her hand as her grip loosening. The rise and fall of the blanket her chest stayed strong though. Kaidan set her hand on the blanket by her side.

"We should get Miranda," Kaidan said.

Liara gave a quick nod, face flat. Kaidan looked down again touching Shepard's temple and resting his palm against her warm cheek. Her face turned and leaned into his hand. It made Kaidan's pulse pick up. He glanced at Liara again then backed away. He rushed to the door. Miranda was waiting to be woken up for this.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The lights were so bright. Shepard squinted into the florescent ceiling lights. Her head pounded. Her eyes rolled around the room. It came back in a flash - the attack, the crossfire, the shuttle exploding, Dr. Chakwas, the turiens, her crew … She lurched upright. Someone pressed her shoulders back down. Shepard frowned up at a face coming into focus.

"Shepard, settle down. You need to take this easy." It was Miranda.

A blue face came up beside Miranda's.

"Shepard, how do you feel?" Liara asked.

Shepard struggled upright on her elbows, but Miranda pressed her down again. Shepard gave up and glared at them. She tried her voice. It sounded husky.

"Guys, come on."

Miranda smirked. "'Guys, come on?' Really, Shepard? Your first words back from the dead for the third time."

"What?"

Liara touched her shoulder softly. "Shepard, you've been comatose for weeks."

"Weeks," Shepard croaked.

"You need to take it slowly," Miranda said. "You undo all my work, Shepard, and I _will_ install a control chip next time."

"Miranda …"

"Just take a breath. Slow things down," Miranda said.

Shepard followed Miranda's eyes to the heart rate monitor by her bed. A hospital bed? Damnit, not again. She'd spent more time in a hospital bed in the last year and half than she had in a real one.

"What happened?" she asked.

Liara glanced at Miranda. Miranda just sighed.

"Let's get situated first, Shepard."

"Consider me 'situated.'"

"You don't look situated," Miranda said.

"What the hell do I need to do to look situated?"

The heart rate monitor beeped. Miranda reached over and silenced it.

"You're getting worked up."

"You wake up from a coma. See if you don't get worked up."

Miranda chuckled and shook her head. "I'll sedate you. Put you right back in that coma."

Liara put a hand on Miranda's arm. "This is only aggravating her further."

"Thanks, Liara. A voice of reason." Shepard's voice sounded thin and weak.

"Shepard will feel better when she gets answers," Liara said.

"Liara …" Shepard gave a small smile. "See, Miranda. Now that's a friend."

"Saving your life three times counts for nothing?"

Shepard glanced back and forth between them. Finally, she let her body uncoil and sink into the bed's cushion.

"Come on, guys," Shepard repeated.

"Fine." Miranda pointed at Liara. "If her heart rate gets over," she thought for a moment, "170, I'm coming back with a needle."

Shepard eyed the monitor - 128. She had some wiggle room for getting worked up. If need be. Miranda shifted out of sight, and Shepard sat up cautiously. No one tried to shove her back down. Miranda stood over at a terminal against the wall.

"Shepard, how do you feel?" Liara wrinkled her forehead as her eyes searching Shepard's face. "Is your head painful?"

"I have pain medicine," Miranda said looking up from the monitor.

"Keep your needle away from me, Miranda," Shepard said.

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "You had pain meds two hours ago. Give it another two hours, you might be changing your tune."

"I won't discount that possibility. Now, Liara," Shepard focused on her, "what happened?"

"You don't remember what happened?"

"I … do," Shepard said slowly, "but what happened? All of it. Where's James? Joker? Cortez was shot. Adams."

Miranda tsked her tongue, hands on her hips, and nodded at the monitor. The monitor read 151. Shepard took a deep breath.

"Shepard, there are Alliance detectives that want to talk to you and Spectre Taccus. I think you need to get answers from them first."

"Detectives?"

"Not here now, of course, but when you're ready to see them, they want to talk to you about what happened."

"They're not coming in right now," Miranda said and looked over at them. "Talk about … I don't know. Something soothing."

"James, Joker, Adams, Cortez - they're all okay, Shepard."

Shepard swallowed. "Dr. Chakwas—no, nevermind. I know."

"I'm sorry."

"Briggs, Jensen, Stofsky …"

"Here's a list."

Liara picked a datapad up from the chair by her bed. Liara pulled up a screen and held it out. Shepard snatched it. She skimmed through the list. So many dead. She pressed fingers to her temple and closed her eyes. Damnit.

"Cortez was shot," Shepard said lowering the datapad to her lap.

"He's okay, Shepard."

"Where are they?"

"They either went back or are going back. Cortez and Adams were finally discharged. They're leaving soon. Today."

"Today?"

Liara nodded.

"They're leaving? What about me?" Shepard asked.

Miranda peered over the monitor at her. "Don't make me laugh."

"I'm feeling much better, Miranda."

"Better than what? You don't even remember. You were in a coma."

"I'd say that's the biggest step. Coma, not in a coma."

Miranda shook her head with a sigh. "Give it those two hours, then we'll see."

Shepard stared around the room for the first time. The walls and low ceiling felt so gray, cold, outdated.

"They're going back?" Shepard said. "Where am I?'

"Hospital ward on Gagarin Station," Liara said.

"Gagarin?" Shepard frowned. "Jump Zero. Wait … Kaidan. Was Kaidan here?"

Liara glanced at Miranda. "Yes, Kaidan was here."

"Then, where is he?"

"Uh … Shepard," Liara turned back to her. "He's leaving with Cortez, Adams, and some of the others. Returning to Earth."

"Leaving," Shepard said. "Not left?"

"True."

"Well, then where the hell is he? Had to preboard to get the good spot by the window?"

Miranda chuckled softly and smiled into her terminal as she worked. Liara glared sideways at her.

"No," Liara said. "We really were told you need to speak to detectives and the Spectre before anyone can talk to you."

"Am I hallucinating this then? Cause it feels like I'm talk to you and Miranda."

"We're not Alliance or associated with the Council."

"Ah." Shepard sat up straighter and felt around the side of her bed for a button or lever.

"Shepard, be careful." Liara hovered over her.

"We can raise this?"

"Stop that." Miranda charged over. "Just stop. I'll do it."

Shepard turned to Liara. "Get me a comm."

"Shepard!" Miranda growled.

Liara paused looking to Miranda.

"My heart rate is …" Shepard turned, "140, Miranda. A deal's, a deal."

"We didn't make a deal," Miranda pushed in a button on the side of the hospital bed. The head of the bed raised.

"Miranda, please," Shepard said more softly.

"Fine."

Liara nodded slowly and rushed to pull over the terminal Miranda had been using.

"Spectre Taccus, you say?" Shepard smoothed down the front of her hospital gown. She rested her back into a pillow and waited for Liara with the comm.

XXX

"Kaidan." Shepard smiled.

He shifted on his feet in the hospital doorway. Liara ushered him the rest of the way inside. He took a couple of halting steps then stopped in place carrying a bag over his shoulder.

"Hi, Shepard," he said lightly and glanced around the room.

Shepard crooked her finger at him. "Come over here."

"Look, Shepard …"

Shepard motioned to the terminal screen on the trolley tablet at the foot of her bed.

"I know the rules - our minder, see."

Kaidan took a hesitant step forward to see the screen and gaped.

Taccus sighed. "Go ahead. I have nothing better to do."

Kaidan frowned and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before focusing back on Taccus.

"Taccus …"

"Alenko. You stick to the agreement, I'll stick to the agreement. I agreed to a supervised visit. So, go. Just … let's not take forever."

Kaidan stood there woodenly watching Taccus. Shepard sighed. Slowly, Kaidan turned around dropping his bag and came over to her. He threw another look over his shoulder at Taccus's imagine on the monitor. He turned back to Shepard frowning.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'll be all right."

Kaidan glanced back the monitor again. Shepard snapped her fingers.

"Kaidan, hey. Stop throwing him looks and talk to me. I wanted to see you."

"Sorry, Shepard. It's just … never mind. How are you?"

"I'm all right. I already answered this."

"I'm sorry." He sighed and touched his forehead.

"What's going on, Kaidan?" Shepard murmured. Taccus stared lazily to the side. He didn't seem like he was straining to listen. Shepard turned her eyes back to Kaidan and frowned. "You're acting like you're the one coming out of a coma."

"Sorry."

"Sorry, sorry, sorry. I get it. Come on." She reached toward him. He came closer, and she clasped his forearm and jiggled it. "What's going on?"

"Shepard, you were … I—" His eyes flickered to the side. "Never mind." He gave her a half smile and sighed. His eyes scanned her face, smile widening. "It's really good to see you."

Her heart monitor beeped. Miranda and Liara were in the corner talking not paying attention. Heart rate 160 but going back down. She was pumped up on IV fluids. Miranda was just setting her up for failure hanging that liter.

"Are you really doing okay?" he asked.

She frowned. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

"Really?" He cocked his head.

"Really," Shepard said. "If I didn't feel all right, I would hedge it. Say something like 'I've been worse.'"

"Unless you haven't been worse."

"I've been dead. There's always going to a 'been worse.'"

He nodded and gave a light smile. "Okay. Long as death is your reference for 'been worse' and not my cooking."

"If that kills me one day, it will be."

"One day?" Kaidan folded his arms. "You're going to let me cook for you again one day?"

"Sure. Why not?" Shepard said. "I ate some of James's half-recalled, alcohol-fueled family recipes aboard the Normandy. My standards aren't high."

Kaidan shrugged gently. "I don't know. Seemed pretty high at the time, I recall."

"You said you like a challenge."

"I do."

He leaned against the bed and looked at her. Dark smudges crested under his eyes and there was a red, scuffed texture to his face.

"You scared me, Shepard," he said quietly.

Shepard shrugged and forced a smile. "Comes with the job."

"I heard C-Sec has some fancy dictation jobs open where you get your own cubicle."

Shepard's cheeks indented into the smile. She interlaced her fingers on her lap.

"That so?"

"Probably let you have a fish bowl."

"That is tempting," Shepard said. "Probably safer, though I really think you're underestimating the risks of carpal tunnel."

"Right …" He grinned softly and shook his head with a wistful sigh. "If I have to visit one more friend in the hospital with carpal tunnel …"

Shepard pursed her lips. Smart ass.

"All these friends you visit for carpal tunnel," Shepard said, "You forget to bring them balloons and a teddy bear too?"

"Couldn't find the Jump Zero giftshop," he said. "You wouldn't want that stuff anyway, and hospital policy's pretty firm against bow-wrapped pistols."

"What does the policy say about bow-wrapped shotguns?"

"You know," Kaidan tipped his head as if considering, "the policy specifically said 'bow-wrapped pistols.' So, I'm thinking, a bow-wrapped shotgun must be okay."

Shepard grinned at him, a warmth in her chest. Her eyes moved to his hand tucked under the fold of his arms. It would feel good to pull his arm away and latch onto his hand, just hold it. Taccus's image on the holoscreen moved slightly as he readjusted in his chair staring down at a datapad. Her fingertips pressed into the back her hands as her eye drifted back to his hand. It would only confuse him though. She interlocked her fingers tighter. She didn't need skin contact like a newborn.

Her eyes shifted to his chest, and she frowned. "Where's your uniform?"

He glanced down. "I'm here as a civilian."

"Just a detour to check on me?"

"Yeah … but, also … hmm." He rubbed a hand roughly over his chin then looked back at her. He dropped his arm. "I'm suspended."

"Suspended?" Shepard's eyes flew wide, and she pushed up straighter in her bed.

Kaidan put a hand out to calm her. "No, it's all right."

"All right? Damnit, Kaidan. Suspended? You're serious?"

Kaidan's face hardened, and he nodded. "Yeah."

"How's that all right?"

Kaidan gave a limp shrug and shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe it's not, and I just want it to be."

"Suspended?" Shepard repeated.

Kaidan focused on the floor. His frown deepening as he absently rubbed an arm. Now she'd done it.

"I'm sure it will get straightened out," Shepard rushed to say. "What happened?"

He shook his head and didn't speak for a moment, eyes still on the floor.

"I did something stupid." His voice came out low, and Shepard sat forward to hear him. "I don't know. I confronted Admiral Wilson. I didn't think it through enough. I approached it … wrong."

"It's over insubordination?"

"Yes," he said weakly and spared an upward glance at her.

"Damn. I never would have—it will get straightened out," Shepard said firmly. "That's not you. You're not insubordinate."

"I don't know. In the context they want to see it in, I was. But I …" He swallowed. "It doesn't matter."

It did matter, but she wasn't going to point it out. He was probably well aware of that without her voicing it. He was all cast down now. She shouldn't have acted so shocked, but she'd been shocked.

"Kaidan. Anyone who knows you, knows you're not that." He met her eye. "The Alliance brass aren't like before. Many of them aren't professional military men hardened by experience in the field. They didn't rise in rank through an exemplary service record and recommendations of respected men."

"Some of them did. Flight Admiral Dumas served in Parliament before the invasion."

"And sat on his ass during the war. Maybe not his choice, I'll give him that much. Still, don't take what they're saying to heart, okay? And don't double guess yourself. It'll get straightened out."

He exhaled sharply, then nodded. "Okay."

Shepard's fingers picked at the edge of her coarse blanket.

"Kaidan," she said. "I have to know though. Did this thing with Admiral Wilson, did it have to do with me?"

"It had to do with the Normandy and the crew and … you. It wasn't because of you though."

Shepard's face pinched. Her fingers curled up a fistful of the blanket. Her fingernails dug through the material into her palm. Kaidan glanced at her monitor by the head of her bed. He leaned forward and touched her shoulder.

"It's not your fault, Shepard."

Shepard gave a tight smile and slowed her breathing. "If you say so."

"I mean it. It didn't—"

"Okay. I believe you." She looked away.

"Shepard …"

She didn't look at him. When she'd met him, he'd been a marine for years - decorated, skilled, competent, tactful, brimming with desire to help and do good, full of aspirations and goals. Since then he'd actualized into so much more, and it had been noticed. She'd worried the Alliance because of her, would derail him. But maybe the Alliance was never the real threat when it came to her, it was himself.

On Horizon, he told her he would always be an Alliance soldier, and he knew where his priorities lay. Maybe he was losing his way, but she wouldn't let him lose what was important. In the end, there are no guarantees, feelings come and go, life brings you close and draws you away, everything fades and gets forgotten under layers of passing time. But living with yourself, your identity, what you've done, what you can do - that was always there, long as you kept sight of your priorities. It was good she'd held off reaching for his hand.

He stood away from the bed and smiled wanly. "I better go. I have a ride to catch."

"With Adams and Cortez?"

He nodded.

"Say something to them for me," she said.

"Something?" he said. "That's a lot of leeway."

"Eh." Shepard tried to smile. "I trust you."

He gave her a halfhearted smile, but as he watched her the smile stretched wider, even touching his eyes.

"I'm really glad you're okay, Shepard."

"Thanks," she said. "I'll see you planetside."

He nodded and backed away. He picked his bag off the floor and turned to the terminal screen.

"Thanks, Taccus."

Taccus looked up from his datapad and blinked. "Oh. Right. Are we done?"

"Yes." Kaidan said slinging the bag over his shoulder.

Liara and Miranda stirred in the corner. Kaidan paused in the doorway and gave Shepard a nod before slipping away. Shepard leaned back into her pillow. Somehow it felt like losing him all over again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"So, the drivecore is shooting spark," Adams said. "I'm thinking, 'Damn. A tantalus core with heatsinks this size and an overclocked dispersion matrix like this. This isn't going to be good.'" A couple of Balmoral's NCO's passed by the open hallway door and glanced in before continuing on. Adams stretched forward and pushed an emphatic finger down on the table. "I knew there was only one way …"

"You rerouted the diffusion system?" Kaidan leaned his chair onto the back legs and bumped against one of the bunks.

"No," Adams said slowly and slowly leaned back. "I overloaded the propriety Tantalus feat shield."

"But that—"

"I know! I know! I thought of that too."

"Then the sink system …"

"Completely offline. Absolutely dead in the water. So, I'm panicking …"

"Damn."

"Exactly what I'm thinking. 'Damn. What now?' If that tantalus core for one second even—"

"This story again?" Cortez sat up in his bunk.

"Thought you were napping," Adams said.

"Napping?" Cortez twisted around and put his feet on the floor. "Say 'sleeping,' Adams. You're making me sound lazy in front of the major."

"He saw you napping."

Cortez rubbed his eye and stifled a yawn. "Why aren't you in the mess hall or something? When you tell that story, Cortez, your voice gets louder and louder. I swear each retelling—"

"Then you entertain us," Adams said. "Give us a good shuttle story."

Cortez smiled. "How about the time this bastard XO was messing around in the side panel of my raise drive?"

"Heard that one." Kaidan clapped the front of his chair back onto the floor and stood.

"Wait," Adams said. "Don't you want to know what happened when the tantalus core went down?"

"Uh, yeah. What happened?" Kaidan said.

"Well, it …"

"What did it do, Adams?" Cortez asked stretching and ducked under the corner of the upper bunk as he stood. He plodded to the table and pulled a chair out beside Adams.

"Well, uh …"

"Yeah? Finish it out." Cortez motioned.

"Well," Adams frowned at him. "It, uh … it came back online."

Kaidan waited. "And?"

"And that fixed it. We got the system back up again," Adams said.

"That's how he ends it every time," Cortez shook his head. "Major, we were stuck on the same ship for ten plus months, and you never heard this one? So many retellings, you think it would get better."

Adams chuckled. "You know, Cortez, at least my stories are consistent. The fish I caught doesn't get bigger each time."

"If you caught a minnow though, you have to ask yourself: does the story really deserve to be told?"

Adams hunched forward over the table with a grin and shook a finger at him. "The thing you never get about this story is that the tantalus core's heat vents—"

"I'll see you guys around." Kaidan went to the door.

"Where you going?" Adams frowned.

"Walk around."

"Where? This ship's a minnow," Adams said.

Kaidan grinned. "I'm not the only Normandy-made ship snob?"

Cortez laughed. "Anyone that's been on the Normandy SV2 longer than a week has got to be an Alliance ship snob. We had over a year. No coming back now. Cerberus really knew their stuff. Hate them, don't get me wrong."

Adams sighed. "When we lost the first one, went down in the explosion, never thought I'd see her like again. But Cerberus, what they rebuilt and now seeing her soar again … There isn't anything finer out there."

Adams laughed as he grinned at Cortez. He looked over at Kaidan.

"What's wrong with you?" Adams said.

"What?" Kaidan blinked.

"Your face …" Adams frowned.

Cortez cleared his throat and caught Adam's eye meaningfully. He shook his head. Adams frowned for a moment, then his eyebrows rose. Damn, now it was awkward. Definitely time for a walk.

"Hey," Kaidan said to Cortez. "Where's that …"

"Threw it on your bunk, Major," Cortez said.

Kaidan snatched the Omni-Tool off a top bunk and slipped it on. That felt right. Not his. Not a good one, but it would work for now. Another lease from the Alliance. He couldn't really complain.

"Don't get lost," Adams chuckled a little tightly.

"I'll stay in one place if I do," Kaidan said and passed out the door.

XXX

It _was_ a minnow of a ship. Adams was right. But it had been a commercial passenger vessel before being recommissioned by the Alliance and now ping ponging between Earth, the relay, and Jump Zero. The only thing it did was carry Alliance officers, building materials, and boring run of the mill cargo. Hopefully, nothing too enticing to a merc ship. It was Alliance though, that alone probably soured the appeal as a target.

The ship only had three levels. Navigation and officers on duty were on top. Off limits to Kaidan though. This level with beds and mess hall. Then the lower deck, cargo, and engineering. Kaidan stepped into the elevator and punched the button for the lower deck. Maybe it was also off limits to him, but no one had explicitly said that.

The elevator slowed to a stop. An NCO looked up from sorting through a workbench of heat clips and rifle parts. She gave Kaidan a smile and nod before picking up a cleaning rod for the barrel in her other hand. Not a salute. Not that Kaidan was so pompous he needed a salute, but it was just another reminder. He returned the nod and moved past her into the cargo bay.

"Major."

Kaidan turned. Briggs and Oreille sat just to the side of the elevator playing cards on a crate. Kaidan knew little more than their names and faces. Shepard had handpicked them though for the Normandy, so Kaidan suspected he already knew their quality.

"Lieutenant, Chief." Kaidan strolled over. "How's the neck?"

"Still keeping the head on, sir," Oreille said. "Can't say the docs don't know their stuff."

"Might have put it on backward. Hard telling sometimes," Briggs grinned.

Oreille tapped his cards. "Hope they left you some of your guts, Briggs. I have a good hand."

"Up for a game, sir?" Briggs asked.

"Another time," Kaidan said. "Thanks."

"Too bad, but then Oreille'd just try to hustle you anyway."

"Better than trying to sit all your opponents in front of a reflective surface," Oreille said.

Briggs raised his shoulders. "I didn't tell you to sit there."

Oreille gave him a dull stare. "I've seen you bluff."

Briggs looked up at Kaidan. "Sir, you really head that strike in Cesky Krumlov? Heard the bastards about leveled the place when they realized the dextran mill wasn't gonna blow."

"Musta been helluv a biotics show," Oreille said. "All those heavy arms they lifted off the Shields thrown at you. Civilians probably outta their minds."

"It was touch and go there for a bit," Kaidan said. "But we didn't lose anyone and the town was saved. Some of the important cell members slipped away though."

"But you got 'em in Plzen," Oreille said. "Now that I would have seen. Those biotic explosions more controlled than our incendiary stuff?"

"If done right," Kaidan said.

"Damn, that woulda been cool to see," Oreille said. "Preserving all that historic crap."

"Middle of the city, daytime, all those civilians round, that salarian pow wow going down." Briggs grimaced. "Tough one."

"My teams knew what they were doing," Kaidan said.

"Had to have, sir." Briggs shook his head. "Woulda been a front-page slaughter otherwise."

Kaidan gave a thoughtful nod and looked out around the cluttered bay. He turned back to them.

"I'll check in with you both later."

He paused. Wait, he wasn't their commanding officer. He wasn't supervising or commanding anyone. They didn't seem to notice though and both rose and gave him a crisp salute.

"Yes, sir."

Kaidan was a little delayed but returned it. They sat back down picking up their cards as Kaidan wandered off skirting the cargo bay's cluttered storage.

XXX

For an instant as he wandered the carbo bay's maze of shipping crates, a silhouette flashed through his mind - the glowing form of an asari charging him between crates. Crushing him against the wall with that crate trick - she was good, Kaidan had to admit. Inventive. He probably wouldn't have thought of that. Then again, even if he had, did he really want his Alliance report to include smearing his adversary into wall with a shipping container. Kaidan cringed. Better to go out with a bang than a crunch.

He leaned against a crate facing the cargo bay's back wall. The datachip Liara had given him was in his pocket. He plugged it into his loaner Omni-Tool. Numbers and letter lit up the screen, more than could fit on one page. He scrolled through it. It seemed the right length. Now if it worked … He slid a datapad from another pocket and expanded it open. He pulled up Anchor's messages and networked it with his Omni-Tool. He initiated the decode. Words started to appear. Liara had done it. The first message bled away into a few sentences.

 _Langley likely entry point. Team assembling for drop off. Rendezvous on return. Will signal with station's distress call._

Kaidan released a long breath. Anchor's marching orders _were_ here then and the code worked. He brought up the messages he'd copied from the QEC back and forth. It wasn't embedded in readable camouflage, but it would be messy for Anchor to be using more than one code. Long as everything was complete on the datachip, it should work like it did on the Normandy when he'd first tried it. It decoded in a number of seconds.

 _Recover target. Work with entry team to neutralize and secure vessel. Take Shepard alive, if possible._

It was unbelievable. A part of him had still been skeptical he'd ever decode the messages.

 _First target: Blue Sons, Alcatraz SV1. Signature likely hidden in Neptune's gravity field._

 _Return: Vancouver, First Day of the Restoration, transfer vessel to the Scorpion for permanent departure. Shepard, if prisoner, must remain aboard._

Kaidan read through all the messages. It was all right here, the whole debacle. Anchor's replies were mostly just acknowledgements, but it was clear he'd been meant to head the operation after the take over and command the ship. He must have worked himself up the ladder to be so trusted.

Kaidan browsed through all of his emails again. His finger hesitated over an email offering credit-free payment for the first ten months on your own Kodiak-type pedestrian shuttlecraft. The model number was all wrong for the picture being advertised. It was an email Kaidan had restored with the other deleted junk on Anchor's datapad drive.

Kaidan opened the full message. He might be sentencing himself to hours tweezing a virus out of his Alliance issued Omni-Tool. The description made Kaidan frown. Granted, he mostly kept to the automated skycars' route-points to get around town so he didn't have a breadth of experience with civilian-level shuttlecrafts, but this email description was nonsense. Embleius motor rotator IV series - what the hell was that? And you couldn't clock a 120 on a Tesla propulsion system with that sort of acceleration core. Laughable. The firewall had better be damned good on this Alliance loaner. It clearly wasn't an earnest solicitation. Though maybe …

Kaidan brought up the datachips's code and fed the junk message through the coding matrix. Instead of eye rolling gibberish coding out, words appeared. Kaidan's brows drew tight. It changed into a short message:

 _Scorpion's surprise package will be retrofitted on First Day._

Kaidan read over it again still frowning. Anchor had kept all his other email messages from Terra Firma. If he trashed it, even deleted it off the drive, either he didn't realize what it was or there was something sensitive about it. He hadn't deleted the other messages. He probably never thought the Alliance would be reading them. If that was true, then he hasn't deleting this message from Alliance investigators. Anchor had obviously been trusted and climbed his way up. If there was an inner circle, and there were always inner circles, maybe Anchor was in the known on something not generally circulated. Surprise package for the scorpion? Outside of a birthday part, surprise packages weren't generally a good thing, especially if the message needed hiding. Maybe whatever this 'First Day' was the Scorpion's Ides of March.

Kaidan's message comm flashed. A message from Diana Allers again. Kaidan didn't even read it and deleted it straight off. She could go through Alliance PR just like everyone else. Just repeating whatever the latest news release said was all he had to say about it.

He clicked off his Omni-Tool and removed Liara's datachip. He couldn't risk returning the Omni-Tool with the datachip still installed. He put everything away in his pockets and braced himself against a crate idly drumming his fingers in thought. This was an amazing breakthrough. The attack on the Summit was confirmed then, and there was finally something more than rumors to go off. It was good. It should be making him feel better.

He squeezed his eyes shut and touched his forehead lightly. The migraine was worsening. All this information, all the good that had happened, should be relieving stress not causing it. It had to be stress provoking this one. He'd eaten and slept. He hadn't used his biotics in days since straining himself during his fight with the assassin.

He had no reason to be stressed. Shepard was alive again. 'Alive again' because she had been dead. Dead, except for filling out the form and putting a time stamp. He stood there with the future rolling out before him. Every word between them had been spoken. Every touch, every look, every moment, anything that could have been or was had come to the end, a book closed and put back onto the shelf. He'd stood there before, and each time he lost her, he felt more certain, more desperate, more heartbroken. He tore apart. Miranda rebuilt Shepard, but he'd had to rebuilt himself over and over again.

Shepard was untouched by any of it. He stood there, his entire world reorienting and lifting from the ashes, and she acted as if it were nothing - nonchalant, unfazed, unflappable while he reeled inside. Her perseverance, ability to just stand right up again and charge ahead, he loved it. It was who she was, he wouldn't have it any other way.

Maybe it was more than just personality though that made her strong when he crumbled. It was his love for her drove him to his knees. The difference between them might not be in resilience but indifference. Not that she was truly indifferent to him, he knew better. She'd wanted to see him after all. He had not doubt she cared, but that could mean any things. Perhaps he'd only been projected his feelings onto her the whole time. Consciously or unconsciously, the Alliance regs could be a smokescreen. Maybe it wasn't the Alliance standing in their way, it was Shepard herself. Someone could care for someone, love even, and still not want more than what was.

Dropping some big sacrifice on her doorstep and throwing himself at her feet would only be guilting her into taking him. He'd never know if they were together, because she truly wanted it, or whether it was indebtedness, guilt, and obligation. Maybe she wouldn't even really know. If he posited any hypothetical sacrifice, he'd still not know the truth. Whether she wanted to be with him or wanted to move on, he'd get the same answer. She'd say whatever it took to prevent him doing it. He could live his whole life never knowing why they were really together wondering if he'd manipulated her, if unintentionally. He couldn't imagine anything worse than forcing himself on her and living in some fake reality. There was irony thinking that she could give up what she wanted to give him what she thought he wanted, not realizing what he wanted all along wasn't just to be with her, but to be with her because she wanted to be with him. He didn't want to just not be turned away. He wanted to be wanted back, and there was no way to get an honest answer to that question.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sucked in a heavy breath. Here he was, Shepard was alive, and he was still making himself miserable. He'd told himself if she lived, that would be enough. He had to let it be, move on. If they weren't going to be together, it was time to accept it. If he could stop focusing on himself, there were bigger things he could be part of. There was a whole world left to rebuild, things to stand for and defend. Savoring all the good in the past was fine, but after a point, it was time to strip away the things holding you back and live in the present. Shepard believed that. He admired it, but maybe it was time to stop admiring and start applying.

He took a deep breath shoving away from the crate and started toward the elevator. He loved Shepard, maybe he always would, but it was time to move on. It was okay to feel, but there was a time to move forward and stop looking back. That time was now.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

ANN flickered on the screen in front of Shepard. Miranda hunched over a datapad in the chair next to her bed.

"Caught up yet?" Miranda asked, eyes flicking to the screen.

Shepard sighed rolling the side of her face against the pillow and looked at Miranda.

"You, me, this." Shepard waved at the hospital room. "Tell me it doesn't make you nostalgic."

"I'd like a few less occasions to be nostalgic, Shepard."

"Here, here," Shepard said and turned back to the screen.

"How much more of that are you going to watch?"

"The news?" Shepard asked. "What, am I hogging it? You got a soap to catch up on?"

"Shepard." Miranda sighed and turned her datapad off. "What're you hoping to learn from that?"

"Well, I've been waiting for the sports section, but they keep droning on about bombings and Terra Firma and Summit protests instead."

"You can't do anything about it and worrying won't do any good."

"Do you know," Shepard sat up, "Terra Firma struck some Shields's hideout? Probably took possession of explosives the Shields knocked off the Alliance last year? They have a nuclear warhead. A nuclear warhead, Miranda."

"Yes," Miranda sighed crossing her legs. "You're the one behind on the news, not me."

"And those protests. It's just what Terra Firma wanted killing those turiens on my ship. The Alliance had nothing to do with it, let alone the Council. And what? Not having a Summit, not discussing our problems - _that's_ going to fix things?"

"There have always been separatists."

"And now, it's all about _not_ repairing the relays - the separatist opportunities now finally possible. 'Many only want enough relays repaired to accommodate a return home to larger systems. Others say this would be a step back.' Hell, yeah, it's a step back. It's madness."

"The Council won't let that happen," Miranda said.

"Everyone was working together for the first time. We accomplished so much because of it. Just throw it away." Shepard fell back in bed. "Give the terrorist groups exactly what they want. Reward all the destruction, all the death, everything they've done to us. It just incentivizes more of it."

"You can say all that at the Summit."

"The Summit's not my soap box," Shepard said. "Let them figure it out."

"You seem passionate enough. You can make anything your soap box, Shepard."

"I've said enough."

Shepard pulled a pillow out from under her elbow and wrapped her arms around it.

"When can I get out of here?"

"Soon," Miranda said.

"We're still testing my biotics tomorrow?" Shepard twisted to look at her. "Please, say yes. I've been a very good girl. Been using my call light for every bathroom break. Kept my heart rate down. Haven't pulled out my IV and run wildly down the hall holding my hospital gown closed as I look for the nearest exit sign."

"Long as everything remains stable, can't see why not," Miranda said.

"Kind of wish I had a witness here for that, but I'll trust you," Shepard said. "Where is Liara anyway?"

"I don't monitor that," Miranda said and lifted her datapad again.

"She's been pretty quiet. You noticed that?"

"I don't monitor that either."

Shepard hugged the pillow tighter and lay quiet for a moment. Miranda held the datapad closer and scrolled down a page.

"I lost so many," Shepard said.

Miranda looked up.

"So many on my watch," Shepard said.

"Shepard," Miranda scooted onto the edge of her chair. "You've lost soldiers before."

"In war, Miranda. This wasn't war. It was from the inside. I didn't put the pieces together in time. I can't take that back and I can't change it, but this never should have happened."

"You win some, you lose some. You've won a lot. This doesn't even level the score."

"Soldiers died defeating Saren, defending the Citadel, taking down the Collectors, the Reapers. This? It was for nothing."

Miranda gave a long sigh. "They died in active service. That's more meaningful than most deaths out there. Most people die from heart disease, cancer, or in a shuttle accident coming back from a birthday party. People die all the time. Most of it is for nothing. At least for them, they died fighting."

Shepard fixated on rubbing her thumb in a circle on the back of her hand. After a while, Miranda sat back in her chair and lifted her datapad again.

"When's the Summit?" Shepard asked.

"Two weeks."

Shepard nodded and took a deep breath. "I need to be there."

"You will be," Miranda said.

"Good."

Shepard turned back to the vid screen. Maybe most people did die for nothing, but she was going to make sure the bastards that made them die for nothing paid. They didn't want the Summit to go on, then she'd be there to make sure it did.

XXX

Miranda shoved a table against the wall and pulled a pillow off her bed. She tossed it into the center of the room she'd been renting. The two dining room chairs scrapped across the floor as Liara pushed them up against the table and out of the way.

"Okay. We'll start with that." Miranda indicated the pillow.

Shepard sighed. "A pillow?"

"Too intimidating?" Miranda folded her arms. "Let me find you a paperclip then."

"Why don't you?" Shepard said. "While you're gone, Liara and I can move some real stuff."

"A paperclip would actually be more of a challenge," Liara said.

"Never been good at that fine, tactile stuff," Shepard said. "How about the table?"

"Pillow first, Shepard."

Shepard inhaled a full breath and reached her hand out. She hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Miranda stepped nearer.

"Nothing," Shepard said. "It's been a long time is all. Just getting my bearings."

Liara put a hand on Shepard's arm. "We can do this another time, Shepard."

"No," Shepard said quickly.

Blue energy licked across her skin. The tickle invigorating her. The surge and power of it made her feel alive.

"Anytime, Shepard," Miranda said.

Shepard flicked her hand and felt the energy rushing through her. The pillow flashed blue and burst. Synthetic cotton erupted into the air. Shepard twisted her hand and threw out a swirling sphere. It dragged the floating fluff into a vortex. Miranda frowned as a piece of fluff sucked past her face into the singularity.

"Show off." Miranda put her hands on her hips. "That was my pillow."

"Accident. Sorry. Little bit of a power surge," Shepard said. "But look, I cleaned it up for you."

"Let me scan you."

Shepard let the dark energy fade off her skin and straightened. Miranda approached with a paddle in her hand and her Omni-Tool glowing. Liara smiled encouragingly from over her shoulder.

"It's good," Miranda grinned broadly. "It's working just as it should. How do you feel?"

"Normal."

"And your biotics?" Liara asked. "Do they feel the same?"

"A little strange. Kind of like sighting in a new rifle."

"We'll need to measure you," Miranda said. "See where you spike. Check your endurance. It's a different implant. Your biotics may be altered good or bad."

Shepard didn't want to dwell on the bad.

"Let's hash it out then. See where I'm standing," Shepard said.

"We will," Miranda said. "But another time. There's a lot to throw together before leaving tomorrow."

"I can measure it," Liara said.

Miranda raised her eyebrows. "You know how?"

Liara held up her Omni-Tool. "Yes."

Miranda shrugged. "Don't destroy my room. I'm going back to the med ward to gather some things. Call me if something happens."

"Of course." Shepard waved her off.

Miranda disappeared out the sliding door.

"What do you want to test?" Liara asked.

"I get to choose?" Shepard asked. "How novel. How about … that."

Liara glanced over at Miranda's metal framed bed. She raised her eyebrows then crossed over to it.

"Liara," Shepard said with a smile. "I'm not serious. Miranda would kill me if I broke her bed _and_ tore her pillow apart. Just seeing what you'd say."

"Oh." she stood uncertainly. "Very well."

"Right answer though," Shepard said. "I like though that you believed I could jump from a pillow to a gigantic metal bed."

"I believe in you, Shepard."

"As far as my biotics go, I hope that's not unfounded, but we really don't know do we? How about that table or a chair?"

Liara grabbed a chair and set it in the middle of the room.

"This isn't going to spike any maxes will it?" Shepard said.

"Lifting might not show us any spikes," Liara allowed, "but we can test endurance, see how things are translating out."

"I need to throw something then, if I want to measure a spike," Shepard said.

Liara's eyes widened. "Shepard …"

"Not here," Shepard said. "I'm not crazy. Let's find another spot."

"What? No. Let's stay here."

"Let's go." Shepard opened the door.

"Shepard!" Liara scrambled after her. "Where are we going?"

"They have to have some open space here. We just need to find it. Let's try this direction."

"Shepard, these corridors are indistinguishable. We need to know where we're going."

"Then tell me where to go. You've been living here almost two weeks. You haven't explored? What about the warehouses? Docks?"

"No," Liara frowned. "Not there. It's daytime, they'll be in use."

They walked mindlessly. Shepard darted down corners and peered through open doorways. The warehouses were indeed busy with workers running cranes and loading freight. Shepard looked anyway away.

"The docking terminals can't all be in use," Shepard said rushing down a side hallway.

Liara stopped with a sigh. "Very well. I know a more open space."

Shepard backtracked with a smirk. "Holding out on me, huh? Thought I'd give up, go back to tossing pillows around Miranda's room?"

"Lifting a chair would be an adequate trial of your biotics at this point."

"I want to know how high I spike, not how long I can lift a chair."

"You must be worried you'll spike lower. I can understand that."

"Then lead the way," Shepard said.

Liara nodded with a slight frown. They navigated through a labyrinth of metal corridors. Light grew dimmer and halls quieter. A light dust twisted in the air disturbed by their passing.

"Is this area condemned?" Shepard asked.

"It's not in use right now. Here, down this hallway."

They walked abreast. Liara twisted her hands together glancing over at Shepard. The corridor emptied into a towering atrium several stories high in the center. Half circled balconies looked over it. Shepard strolled up a couple of steps to a large dirt-filled planter in the center of the room. She gazed around the almost stage-like arena.

"What was this used for?"

"Biotic exercises."

Shepard twisted to look at her. "Just guessing?"

Liara shrugged and looked away.

Shepard peered up at the shaft overhead. It was certainly high enough to slam an object upward with some real force. There was nothing to break - no lights, glass, or paneling. Thick solid construction. Perhaps Liara was right, and it had been used for biotic exercises.

"I suppose we forgot to bring something to throw," Liara said.

Shepard's eyes moved over the open space. Her eyes stopped on a stairway, and she crossed over.

"Where are you going?" Liara said.

"Looking for something to throw, like you said."

The stairway led to the first-tier balcony directly overlooking the atrium. Footprints smeared the dust on the floor.

"We must not be the only ones coming here."

Shepard moved to the balcony's half-wall and looked out over the area below. They really should've thought to bring something to throw. It would need to be heavy though to really measure a spike. That might have been too cumbersome to bring this far. Her eyes moved around the balcony.

"What about that bench?" Shepard pointed to a metal framed bench in the corner at the end. "I might destroy it, but his section of the station seems abandoned. Think they'd care?"

Liara crossed her arms across her midsection as she crossed to the balcony wall beside Shepard.

"I suppose not," she said after a moment.

"All right then. That much is solved."

Shepard leaned out and looked up the shaft and back at the metal bench. It should work. She had a good distance to throw and that bench certainly looked heavy enough for it. Should give an excellent spike reading. Liara's fingers spread on top of the balcony wall, and she stared at them.

"Do you need to get into a better position?" Shepard asked.

Liara looked up sharply. "Shepard?"

"Maybe I should bring the bench down there first. Straighter shot."

Shepard crossed over to the bench. It wasn't attached to the floor. Good.

"I know you told me you don't want to talk about it …" Liara bit her lip.

Shepard paused. She looked back at Liara with a slight frown and came back over slowly.

"What?" she said slowly.

"You and Kaidan …"

"Liara," Shepard sighed. "Don't."

Shepard turned away and walked along the balcony wall toward the bench again.

Liara stumbled after her. "Do you still want to be with Kaidan? He loves you."

Shepard stopped and turned sharply.

"Liara," she said. "I don't want to talk about this again. We talked about it already on Earth."

"I know," Liara mumbled. "Sometimes the answer to a question changes though. Maybe you two could—"

"No," Shepard snapped. Liara's eye widened, and Shepard softened her tone. "Sorry, but no. We're not together. Nothing has changed. We're both Alliance soldiers, and we both have bigger things to think of."

"Have you told him—"

"I have told him, Liara. I talked to him about it."

"I understand," Liara said.

Liara didn't say anything more. Shepard slowed her breathing and turned back to get the bench.

"Maybe he doesn't truly believe it though," Liara said.

Shepard released a long breath.

"Look," Shepard twisted on her heels to face Liara again. "I want to make this very clear. Kaidan and I are not together, not anymore. I'm moving on. He should move on. Whether he believes that or not, I can't control. But if he knows me, and he should, he should know I don't make decisions lightly and I don't go back on them. I see them through. I can't double guess my decisions, Liara. I've talked to Kaidan, and he does know this."

"I see."

Shepard put her hands on her hips giving a hard exhale.

"Did Kaidan say something to you? If Kaidan's pushing this agenda on you, he's out of line."

Liara's face hardened. "He didn't."

"I hope not," Shepard said sharply.

She crossed her arms tightly with clenched fists and shifted her gaze back to the bench. Liara didn't say anything. Finally, Shepard spoke.

"Let's just go back. We can do this another time."

Shepard marched to the staircase and paused for Liara. Liara hung her head, hands twisting together. She glanced sideways at the bench and then came slowly over keeping her eyes on the floor. Shepard plunged down the stairs with a heavy footfall on each step.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Kaidan stepped off the docking ramp into the terminal. He stopped short. Half a dozen krogan roared over each other shoving and haw-hawing a few steps ahead. One of the krogan bellowed and headbutted the one across from it. The receiver staggered into the wall, shook his head, and charged forward with a return headbutt. Kaidan stepped back as they tumbled his direction.

"Kaidan," a voice boomed.

Wrex shoved the two hotheads aside as they snarled into each other's faces.

"Wrex?" Kaidan said.

Adams and Cortez ambled out of the docking ramp and paused mid-conversation. Their eyebrows raised and shot Kaidan a look before shuttling off. Humans on the other side of the terminal were making the same expression. People rushing past down main hallway craned their necks as they passed the guffawing tussle.

"Kaidan. It's been too long."

"Good to see you, Wrex."

The other krogans shuffled up behind Wrex. They eyed Kaidan with slanted grins and narrowing eyelids.

"Uh …" Kaidan drew his eyes back to Wrex. "What's up?"

"How is Shepard?"

"She's better. Miranda patched her up."

"Good. Good. I was concerned. You humans and your fragile nervous systems. One pop of the neck and done."

Kaidan smiled weakly. "Sure."

"One pop," leered a small, beady-eyed krogan behind Wrex.

"Uh … right." Kaidan shifted the bag over his shoulder. "Did you need something? You were waiting for me?"

"Sure was, Kaidan. Needed to know how Shepard was. Hard to get any news around here."

"They were keeping it tight until they knew what to report. I thought her recovery was reported to the media."

"ANN?" Wrex snorted. The krogan behind him chuckled looking at each other. "Who has time to watch that crap? They only report on half the things anyway."

"I suppose."

"I needed to hear the truth from you."

He jammed a finger into Kaidan's chest. Kaidan braced his legs to prevent falling back a step. The smAllers krogan shook his head and turned away with a smirk. The group slowly returned to talking in growling tones. One ruddy-toned krogan motioned at Kaidan and shook his head with a laugh.

"Don't mind them." Wrex grinned. "They are bored here. It's all enclosed and breakable. Too much rebuilding. In London, it's still rubble and open space. Reminds us of Tuchanka."

Kaidan scratched his neck. "I guess."

"No thresher maws though. Shame."

"Got some terrorist sects over there."

"Terrorist sects here too." Wrex glanced around. "But, these are boring. Like hunting rats. No challenge."

Kaidan exhaled with a laugh. "Might be more challenging than you think. Rats can hide, and they run fast."

"Ah, but they are rats." Wrex rolled his shoulders. "Give me something real. Something I can butt my head into. Something to really sink your hands into. Tear apart."

Kaidan almost took a step back but stopped himself. The small krogan stared at him with a sneer.

"You guys are pretty cooped up, huh?"

"You have no idea."

"I'm starting to."

Wrex patted Kaidan roughly on the back. "Let's walk. Some movement, even if only walking, it is good. Come, come."

Kaidan hoisted his bag higher on his shoulder and walked beside Wrex down the HQ hallway. The krogan entourage followed in a rowdy tumble of booming voices and shoving.

"Where's Grunt?"

"Ah, Grunt. He's here. He found entertainment."

"What, uh, sort of entertainment?"

"Hee, hee." Wrex grinned sideways at Kaidan. "The finest kind, my friend. The finest kind."

Kaidan looked forward with a frown not sure whether it was worth asking.

"So. We are here for the Summit."

Kaidan nodded. "I figured."

"They do not want us here." Wrex bared his teeth. A group of Alliance soldiers skittered out of the way with wide eyes as they passed. The krogans growl-laughed muttering to each other. Two asari coming their direction turned down another hall.

"You do create an impression," Kaidan said.

"All krogan are regarded with the same impression. Even before they meet me, they have decided."

Kaidan was quiet as they continued down the hall.

"The Council won't see you?" he said finally.

"Ah." Wrex grinned. "The heart of it. You see the truth. They put us off with words, empty words, but they won't see us. It's true. That's why we need Shepard."

"Shepard?"

"After she talked to them at a meeting, they contacted me. Invited me to the Summit to discuss these things. Wanted to work out an agreement. But now? I am here. Brought other Clan Urdnot krogan to speak, but now, they will not see me."

"Perhaps they're waiting for the Summit."

"Paw." Wrex spit. "No. How can we talk at the Summit? We have no time set. Everything here is so set and timed. We've got no appointment time on this Summit schedule. May as well not even come. We should be seen now, then given time at the meet."

Kaidan nodded thoughtful, "I can see if—"

"No. We want Shepard." Wrex held up a hand. "Many have spoken for us, but none are like Shepard. She is the only one to sway them."

It was probably true. Shepard had a way with words. She had clout and trust. The krogan couldn't have found a better ally.

"She'll be back for the Summit," Kaidan said.

"This had better be." Wrex grunted. "Few days away. Makes us … this."

Wrex motioned behind. One krogan slammed the small, beady-eyed one into the wall. The little krogan shoved off the wall and rammed his head into the other. A potted plant crashed onto its side spilling dirt. A krogans kicked at it and laughed.

"Now stop that!" Wrex snapped. "We'll find time outside for that. These humans look down on breaking their dainty things." Wrex grinned at Kaidan and gave a firm tap with the back of his hand. "Huh? You do not make things to last. Thin and breakable like yourself instead of sturdy, durable, Krogan."

A krogan-sized hole dented the wall by the plant. One of the krogan scrambled to upright the fern, shoveling dirt back into the pot.

"Very good. Nothing to be done about the wall." Wrex shrugged. "You could learn much from Krogan architecture."

"Krogan architecture?" Kaidan asked.

"I see you're skeptical. Once the krogan were great. Much still stands despite great wars. Durable." He raised a hand. "We will be great again. You shall see."

"You'll live much longer than me," Kaidan said.

"Ah. That is true. Humans, so fragile and brief. Like these flowers here. You are a flower." He jabbed a finger into Kaidan's chest again.

"Uh, thanks, Wrex," Kaidan said amid the Krogan snickers. "That's very … poetic."

"Yes. We krogan were artists once too. You shall see."

Kaidan rubbed his chest. "It might have to be the next, uh … generation of flowers that see that, but I believe you."

"I think you do." Wrex nodded. "That is why you are okay. Why I ask you about Shepard."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. Liara only writes me notes. Bah! No time for that. Garrus knows nothing. I think he is angry." Kaidan frowned. Great. Wrex just continued. "Tali? Just reads Liara's message back. The rest? They do not matter. We are the one there from the beginning."

"Right," Kaidan said. "So, uh … Garrus seemed mad?"

Wrex grinned toothily. "Oh, yes. I think he would make a good krogan sparring partner. But fighting dirty is not allowed. You win by strength. Then Garrus would not win."

The small krogan smiled at Kaidan.

"You though." Wrex tapped his chest with the back of his hand. Kaidan took a couple of steps back. "Ah yes, back up some. We could not fight you sparring. Too much mess. Over too fast."

"Pop," the small krogan said staring at Kaidan.

"But," Wrex said, "we give you a gun, armor. Maybe you'd do okay."

"I'm just glad we're all on the same team, right?"

"For now." Wrex pursed his lips and rolled his shoulders. "We do not get time in the Summit, we'll see."

Kaidan stared at him. "I would be careful saying that, at least in public."

Kaidan looked around. People passed either outright gawking at the krogans or deliberately staring straight ahead. A people down the hall talked behind their hands and looked away as Kaidan eyed them.

"We krogan are honest. No lies and hiding. If it is true, it can be said. This is the way of the krogan."

Kaidan turned back to him. "But not the way of the Council. If you—"

"Spectre Alenko! Major!"

Kaidan froze. Wrex swung his head around to the voice. Feet slapped down the vinyl coming closer. Kaidan sneaked a look. Exactly who he thought.

"Major Alenko." She panted using his arm to skid to a halt.

"Who is this?" Wrex said.

"Diana Allers, ANN's Battlespace News." She smoothed down her dress and touched a hand to her hair poofing it a little. Her lips curled as she looked between Kaidan and Wrex. "How lucky. Urdnot Wrex too."

"We do not like the news." Wrex frowned. "What you say of the krogan? It is an insult."

"Oh," Diana blinked large rabbit eyes at him. "Then, uh, help us set the record straight."

She held out a microphone and motioned over a camera that was still bobbing its way down the hall after her.

Wrex bared his teeth. "We do not talk to the news."

Diana sputtered. "Then how do you expect—" The encroaching krogans made her cut off. She raised her head higher but lowered her microphone. "Very well. If you change your—"

"Krogan stand behind what is said."

Diana gave a strained smile glancing back at the looming mob of krogan. "Then, yes, certainly. Thank you for your time."

She spun on Kaidan.

"Major Kaidan Alenko, Human Systems Alliance and Council Spectre." She held the microphone out for him to give a greeting.

He pushed the microphone down and eyed the bobbling camera. "Not right now, Allers."

Her lips curved, and she stepped closer. "When then?"

"Talk to my secretary." Kaidan stepped backward and nodded at Wrex. "Catch you later."

"Good bye, little flower." Wrex chuckled.

XXX

Kaidan waved a hand back at Wrex as he pushed down the hall. His bag tapped on his back with each quickening step. Running heels tapped up beside him. Diana clutched the microphone to her chest as she fell in next to him.

"Come on, Major. We were aboard the Normandy together. Do it for a friend."

"I'm only your friend right now, because you want some big exclusive."

"Exclusive?" Her eyes lit up. "Would you?"

"No." He turned down a hallway.

She cut after him. "I can show you just how friendly I really feel."

Kaidan glanced back at her with a frown. "Come on. Be better than that. For yourself."

"So empowering." Diana reached his side and kept a running skip to keep up. "My viewers love to be empowered. Give us a motivational pep talk. Tell us how Commander Shepard is doing? Have you seen her? You have right?"

Kaidan skid to a stop. "Look, Allers. I'm saying it straight out. No interview. Nothing. On the record, off the record, there's no way."

"We can pay."

Kaidan's face scrunched. "Are you serious? No."

"It's not selling out your friends. It's very hush, hush. Just you, me, and the camera here."

"Look. No."

"We can pay in information."

Kaidan paused. "What information?"

Diana clicked her tongue. She looked at him from under her eyebrows with a sly grin twisting her lips. "Ah ha. Not credits. Not … uh, favors. But information, huh?"

Kaidan rolled his eyes and pushed down the hall again. "Never mind."

Diana skipped after him. "Come on, Alenko. You scratch my back, I … can do whatever."

He glared back at her and continued forward. "After I get to the Alliance barracks, you'll have to stop following."

Diana brushed her arm against him and grinned. "Wouldn't be the first time I've followed an officer into private quarters."

"Really, Allers? You've got to feel on some level you're better than that."

"So judgmental," Diana tsked. She pulled at his arm to slow him down. He shook her hand off. "It's because I'm a woman, you're all judgy about it."

"No, it's not."

"Sure. Right."

Kaidan stopped. "Trading that for a story? It could be anyone, it wouldn't seem right. Now that, that, would make a story. You should do it on yourself, the dirty underbelly of the media."

"Oh, Alenko." She came closer. "My underbelly is not dirty. My hygiene is excellent."

He threw up his free hand and stalked down the hall.

"Interesting, don't you think?" she called after him. "So many Terra Firma members in town?"

Kaidan stopped. He waited until she to stroll up next to him. He eyed her out of the corner of his eye. "Okay. What do you know? Do you really know anything?"

"Do I know anything?" She gaped with exaggeration. "Major, I know everything."

"I highly doubt that." Kaidan shifted on his feet and sighed. "Tell me what you know, if it's really worth knowing."

Diana shrugged. "Quid pro quo."

"And you want an interview in exchange?"

"Yep." She snapped her fingers. The camera floated up beside her.

"No deal." He turned away down the hall.

The barracks were so damn far away. He should have just made a skycar transfer.

"Terra Firma," Diana called again. "Something's happening."

Kaidan sighed and walked faster. Diana cursed and raced after him.

"Fine! Fine! I actually do know something."

Kaidan stopped grudgingly and turned to her. "Tell me then."

"Then I get an interview?"

"No."

Diana exhaled loudly clenching her jaw at him.

He motioned at her. "Saving lives, stopping a terrorist attack, isn't enough? You live here too, you know."

"Turn that back around on yourself. If you care so much about that stuff, then why not give a little interview?"

"If you know something that actually matters, you should tell me, Diana."

"Then how about some information exchanged off the record?"

"Okay." Kaidan dropped his bag and waited. "You go first."

The residential hallway was quiet as they stared at each other. Diana watched him with thin slits.

"You're not going to tell me anything after I go first, am I right?"

"Right." Kaidan shrugged. "Go ahead."

Diana sighed with a growl and twisted away briefly as if thinking. She spun back on him.

"Fine," she snapped. "But I get something out of this."

"You can have some of my respect back. Come on."

Diana mock laughed. "Your respect hasn't done much for me to care about getting it back. A pretty inflated currency."

Kaidan stared at her, mouth tight. He was done talking. Diana glared back at him. With a sigh, he shifted and crossed his arms. She grabbed his arm and held it.

"Because … well, because you're Shepard's friend and I actually like Shepard, I will tell you. Terra Firma is gathering in town for some strike during the Summit."

"I already know that." He lifted his bag.

Her grip tightened on his arm. He looked at her.

"What?"

"Did you know all the major leaders are here?" she asked.

"How would you know that?"

"They are here. They've brought their best people, and there is going to be an attack at the ceremony."

"Okay …"

"But! The most important thing I've heard is about the Spider Summit."

Kaidan dropped his bag and sighed tiredly. "What?"

"The Spider Summit, Alenko, where the top members of Terra Firma finally come together. They get word from the top, issue orders, coordinate the strike. And it comes sometime before the real Summit. That's why they're all in town."

Kaidan watched her closely. Her face was mostly blank. Even if she was telling the truth, someone could tell a lie they thought was true. Still, unless the scorpion/spider passphrase was becoming common knowledge, the Spider Summit seemed like the right wording. Someone in the Alliance could know more about this. He could crosscheck it.

"And that's all of it?" Kaidan asked.

Diana smirked squeezing her fingers up his arm as if to feel it through his shirt. He brushed her hand off roughly.

"It doesn't have to be a trade for something, if that's your hang up." She pressed up closer. "Kaidan, right?"

"It's not happening." Kaidan stepped back and grabbed his bag. "Thanks for the information, if it's right."

Diana's face hardened, and she cleared her throat.

"You know, Shepard didn't seem interested in spending personal time with me either. We were alone in her cabin more than once."

"How disappointing." He backed up.

"And did she disappoint you too? Those times you were alone in her cabin more than once." Diana smiled. "Maybe if I was your CO, I'd have the right favors to trade."

The bag slipped from Kaidan's hand. He fumbled for it. Diana took a step closer and glared at him.

"Don't push me around. I do have information. Just be glad I'm more interested in trading information to you than about you. Now does that earn me some of your respect?"

Kaidan swallowed, heat diffusing his face. He held her eye for a moment before turning and striding down the hall. He cut sharply down the closest hallway and let out a breath clenched and burning in his chest. Hot blood pulsed in his cheeks as he trained his eyes on the floor and made his way to the barracks.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Shepard scrolled through her messages, read news articles, reviewed her notes on the Summit. She lowered the datapad into her lap with a sigh.

This ship actually had windows. Not big ones, nothing like the Normandy, but still it had windows. Miranda sat next to her on the couch absorbed in some article on – Shepard craned her neck – aah, on eezo nodes in utero development, an introduction. Titillating.

Shepard hopped to her feet and peered out the port hole. The wispy blue veil of FTL separated her from the stars.

"Bored, Shepard?" Miranda asked.

"No," Shepard turned and leaned against the wall. "What about you two?"

Liara turned from the desk in the corner. Three terminal screens split in front of her. "Not at all. The information filtering in before the Summit is astounding."

Shepard smiled. "Gonna be able to buy a vacation home when it's done?"

"More than that I believe," Liara murmured turning back to the screens. "This could fund expansion of an entire new circle of contacts."

"Really?" Shepard said. "Anything there really worth know?"

"To you?" Liara said. "No. To the prime minister's wife or the Salarian Science Council, yes."

"Sounds juicy," Shepard said.

Miranda fingered down another page on her datapad and gave a long sigh.

"What about you, Miranda? Eezo nodule development really doing something for you?"

"This should interest you too."

"Why? Because I'm a biotic?"

"A human biotic, yes."

"The Eezo Exposure Protection Act should be putting that article out of print."

"Maybe not. That's why it's interesting."

"I'll take your world on it."

Liara looked over at Miranda. "You still working on that formula?"

"The one Kaidan sent?" Miranda actually grinned. "Yes. Some trials, and I think we might actually have a binding antidote."

Liara smiled and turned back to her screens. Shepard pushed off from the wall and strolled over to her.

"Shepard," Liara said and smiled up at her. "I think you may be mobbed when we arrive. Every news outlet is tracking your story."

"Suppose I should ready a speech?" Shepard asked.

"Actually, I think they'd like that."

"Me too," Shepard said. "But, I've got to save my material for the Summit.

"Do you know what you're going to say, Shepard? You've decided to say something?" Liara asked.

Miranda looked over at them.

"Not exactly sure what," Shepard admitted. "But then, I didn't plan out what I'd say to the turiens and the krogan, or the quarians and the geth. Maybe it works better that way. Too practiced and you sound like a politician."

"And you wouldn't want to be mistaken as one of those," Miranda said.

"Hell, no."

"More days captaining through the stars, huh, Shepard?" Miranda cocked her head.

Liara swiveled in her chair to face Shepard and watching her face. Miranda's datapad dropped to her lap as she waited.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

Miranda nodded with pursed lips and raised the datapad in her hand. Liara swiveled back to her monitors.

"Was that the answer everyone was waiting for? I had the attention of the house there for a moment."

"All two of us," Miranda murmured.

"I wasn't implying it was sold out."

Shepard crossed over to Miranda and took a seat again.

"Do you need something to read?" Miranda asked.

"I have something to read." Shepard motioned at the datapad laying next to her. "Makes me a little on edge going back. I'm missing the pre-show. Best part of the party."

"We'll get there with plenty of party time left, Shepard."

"Depends on the partying threshold you're trying to reach."

"Take your threshold down a few notches then."

Shepard shrugged. "Maybe."

She couldn't see the stars from there through that dim, little port hole. Nothing like the observation deck, but she'd be back there again. There wouldn't be blood and bodies last time.

"Nice they gave us our own cabin," Liara said from the corner.

"I think it may have been the captain's," Shepard frowned. "Our own bathroom, window, kind of makes me feel bad actually. I don't need anything special."

"Doesn't compare to your posh cabin on the Normandy though, does it, Shepard?"

"Miranda, I spent most of my career on a top or lower bunk."

"Not the last couple years. Easy to get accustomed to the nice sleeping accommodations aboard the Normandy," Miranda said.

Shepard folded her arms and glanced sideways at her, but she was skimming a section on her datapad and holding it close to her face.

"I guess so," Shepard said.

Shepard snapped her datapad up. Still no new messages. No spam even. She rolled her head back and stared at the ceiling.

"Shepard," Miranda sighed. "If you're so bored …"

"I didn't say I was bored."

"Everything but your mouth says you're bored."

"Everything else is lying. Only listen to my mouth."

Miranda chuckled. "Very well."

"Very well," Shepard echoed.

"You're not going to make us play biotic tug-o-war over cabin furniture?" Miranda asked.

"Why the hell would I do that?" Shepard frowned up at the ceiling.

"Just clearing the air on the entertainment expectations," Miranda said.

Shepard dropped her head down and looked at them. "What?"

Liara sighed and turned her head. "Kaidan made us do biotic competitions with the lounge chairs on the way over."

"Oh," Shepard said flatly and tipped her head back again to look at the ceiling. "I won't make you do that."

Liara's fingers clicked across the terminal keys. Miranda recrossed her legs. Her arm brushed against Shepard's shoulder as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"So, uh … who won?" Shepard asked.

"What?" Miranda said.

"Who won?" Shepard asked. "The tug-o-war."

"The chair split in two." Miranda scrolled down a page on her datapad.

"I beat Miranda the first round," Liara said.

Miranda looked up from the screen. "Only one round. After I beat Kaidan, I would've made it into the brackets."

"But instead, you two tore the chair apart. The match wasn't settled, but I believe since I beat you, and you and Kaidan couldn't beat each other …"

Miranda dropped her datapad and twisted around. "I was a lot easier on you. I didn't want to break the chair."

Liara scooted forward in her swivel chair. "That didn't stop you the next round."

"Because it was Kaidan! I'd be damned if I let him beat me after the chair stack up."

"It was your own fault," Liara said. "Kaidan and I both said to support the base with another chair."

"The goal was to see who could stack the most vertically. I needed the extra chair."

"But you also—"

"Okay, then." Shepard shot to her feet and moved to her travel bag. "I'm taking a shower."

"You didn't win," Miranda insisted.

"I was fatigued from the chair lifting."

"But we all had the same time to recover, Liara."

"I went last."

"But last both times. Same interval."

"But if you think about –"

Shepard slid the bathroom door shut and sighed.

XXX

Hot water stung her face. So hot, Shepard was on the verge of turning it down. Steam curled around her. The rush of water streaming down her back felt good. She took a deep breath and set her back against the wall. The tiling's molded edges skipping up her backbone as she sank to the floor. She brushed away a slick tendril of hair sticking to the corner of her eye. Faint voices sounded like they were still debating. The walls and water muffled it too much to make out any words.

She grinned despite herself and folded her hands out to catch the falling water. It bubbled running over the rim of her fingers. Her smile stretched wider watching it dribble. The room brightened around her with a blue energy. Her skin glowed through the water cupped in her hands. She strained and a wavy blue light spread through the water. She parted her hands. A bubble of water rippled like a loose ball of jelly as it floated in front of her. She wrapped her arms around her knees with a toothy grin. Water splattered off its surface speckling her face. She reached out a hand and clenching it into a fist. The bubble burst. It had been a long time since she'd done that. Two years probably.

Water trickled into her smile as she leaned her head sideways on her knees. She blinked rapidly against the water. She hadn't thought of that in a long time. She could see Kaidan's on Sur-Kesh as he turned to her smiling, water lapping on the weedy shore of the Capitol Gardens, that damned broken fountain charred from a Cerberus attack a few meters off, bone dry. Udina had been dead for well over a month. Valern, the salarian councilor, had died. The Alliance and Council's business over the new councilors was taking forever. She and Kaidan had stood there waiting and waiting.

 _Kaidan turned away from the lake and smiled at her. He nodded at something behind her._

 _"_ _Think you could move water from the lake into that?"_

 _Shepard followed his gaze to the fountain. "Can you?"_

 _Kaidan shrugged. "I don't actually know. It's a fair challenge. I haven't done it before."_

 _"_ _That's exactly what a hustler would say."_

 _"_ _And a non-hustler."_

 _"_ _True." Shepard twisted on her heels and looked around. No one. "So, that's a challenge?"_

 _"_ _Uh … yeah. Consider it issued."_

 _"_ _Uh huh. The metaphorical throwing down of the glove?"_

 _"_ _Exactly. Scared?"_

 _"_ _Baiting me with trash talk? You think that will tip me over into accepting?"_

 _"_ _You biotic like a girl."_

 _Shepard's eyes flew wide. She smacked his arm._

 _"_ _And you hit like one too." He cringed back watching her warily._

 _She shook her head, hands on her hips. "The whole 'like a girl' trash talk? Low, Kaidan."_

 _"_ _What? It was a compliment. You're the sexist one."_

 _"_ _Fine." Shepard grinned. "I pick up your metaphorical glove and wave it in your face. How much water we talking here?"_

 _Kaidan seemed pretty damned pleased with that dopy smile._

 _"_ _I don't even know if it's possible. But assuming it is, I'd say whoever gets the most in … uh, wins."_

 _"_ _The winner gets the pride of being the one to swagger back to the Normandy?"_

 _"_ _With all the pomp. The loser trailing behind in shame."_

 _Shepard chuckled. "Too bad James and Cortez aren't here. There'd be credits slapping down."_

 _"_ _If we charged entrance fees, we could both come out ahead."_

 _"_ _I'd rather forego the audience." She peered around again. "Okay. Let's make this quick. You'll tell me if …"_

 _"_ _Sure. Depends on how good you're doing. Too good my lookout skills may lapse."_

 _"_ _Hey. You go next, so I'd impress the hell out of me with your look out skills or you'll see how rusty mine are."_

 _"_ _Threats. This is getting riskier all the time. Kind of a turn on, Shepard." He gave her a sly smile then stood back angling to watch her from the side while seeing the garden paths._

 _"_ _Okay."_

 _Shepard planted her feet. The water at her feet reflected a blue haze as she lifted a hand haloed in dark energy. Out in the lake a glowing fog lifted out of the water. Glowing blue droplets rose, most falling back into the water before swirling into the misty vortex. Shepard bit her lip and scrunched her forehead. The toe of one foot edged into the water as the mist grew denser. The luminescent fog twisted in a man-sized cloud suspended above the water. She frowned at it._

 _Kaidan brushed up beside her. The touch of his corona crackled and tingled up her arm in a warm shiver. The vortex sputtered, and she clenched back down on it. Kaidan put out a glowing hand. The familiar reverberation of his energy mixing with hers permeated the mist. It started to condense. Pearl-like bubbles of water collided and swirled around in a thickening stream. Kaidan grin at her out of the corner of his eye. He drew his eyes away as his brow pinched together. His toes edged into the water as he lifted both hands shaping the water in tighter. Waves of water formed. Shepard laughed and pushed harder. The rotating maelstrom glimmered with blue light as they pressed it tighter._

 _"_ _So many particles, like sand," Shepard murmured scrunching her face and probably sweating, if she was honest._

 _"_ _Like drawing water up in a strainer."_

 _The mist formed a compacted blur of sloshing water, enlarging and glowing._

 _"_ _How are we going to move this?" Shepard said._

 _Kaidan laughed not taking his eyes off it. "Maybe it's enough we lifted it above the surface."_

 _"_ _That was not the challenge."_

 _"_ _I don't think helping you was part of the challenge either."_

 _"_ _Good point." Shepard said. "This wasn't a team challenge, Kaidan."_

 _"_ _Guess next time we'll be more explicit with the rules before firing the gun."_

 _"_ _Next time?"_

 _"_ _There's always a next time."_

 _"_ _Maybe next time, I'll throw the glove at you."_

 _"_ _Do it," Kaidan laughed. "I like a good glove throw down."_

 _Shepard breathed out and focused on the watery globe._

 _"_ _Okay. Let's move it. Slowly."_

 _"_ _We better agree on the path."_

 _Shepard glanced at the fountain behind them. Maybe twenty meters._

 _"_ _Watch it." Kaidan stepped forward._

 _"_ _Oh!" Shepard spun back and raised her drooping hand backup._

 _A dollop of water slurped back into the lake. Shepard frowned as she steadied it with both hands._

 _"_ _Damnit," Shepard muttered._

 _"_ _Fifty points. Gone."_

 _"_ _Shut up."_

 _Kaidan chuckled and took a step back onto the shore._

 _"_ _Wet toes now?" Shepard smirked._

 _"_ _Yep."_

 _"_ _Okay," she said. "Slowly right between us. Fountains about twenty meters behind us."_

 _"_ _Aye, aye, Commander."_

 _"_ _Keep your wits about you, Major. This ball could go at any time."_

 _"_ _I know what I signed on for. Just give the word."_

 _"_ _Okay … right now."_

 _Shepard pulled back from Kaidan to leave a path between them. The sphere of water drifted to them dripping a trail of water, mist diffusing out behind it._

 _"_ _Keep up, Kaidan."_

 _"_ _You're splashing water out, Shepard."_

 _It shuttered forward, and a swish of water sloshed into the lake._

 _"_ _See," Kaidan said. "You need to slow down."_

 _"_ _Keep up, and we could maintain the water tension."_

 _"_ _Okay …" Kaidan said._

 _The spinning nucleus of water sloshed and rippled. Beading rivulets ran over the blue surface dripping off. Mud sucked at Shepard's boots as she stepped back. The water bubble floated just overhead between them, and Kaidan grinned at her. His eyes darted over her shoulder. The sphere rippled, edges misting and dribbling._

 _"_ _Kaidan."_

 _"_ _Shepard …"_

 _Kaidan's corona blinked out. Shepard spun around, her effect field trembling._

 _"_ _Shepard, watch—"_

 _Shepard whipped back. Blue light wavered. The bubble burst. Kaidan reeled backward. The water dropped in a heavy slosh into the muddy reeds and sand. Shepard cringed back. Earthy goo sloshed over them. She hunched to the side frozen for a moment before cracking open her eyes. Her muscles loosened. Swamp gunk oozed down the right side of her face as she straightened._

 _Kaidan groaned, face crinkled, and flicking his hands dripping in slime. Sludge painted his uniform. The sleeves of his white shirt stuck opaquely to his upper arm as he stared at her. Streaks of mud glistened on the left side of his face. He must have turned his face away too._

 _Shepard released a breath and held her arms out in front of her. Muck coated her right side. Her fingers felt at her hair. Goopy on that side. She caught Kaidan in the corner of her eye snapping into a salute. Shepard spun around a little unsteady, straightened, and threw up her arm._

 _Admiral Hackett stared frozen, mouth unhinged, stopped in the garden pathway. A group of crisp-tailored salarians stood behind him bug-eyed and unblinking. Everything stood silent except for the lapping lake water. A human in the back wearing a pressed suit and balding stepped past Hacket._

 _"_ _Councilor Mason." He offered his hand._

 _Shepard wiped her right hand on the better side of her uniform and shook his hand._

 _"_ _Pleasure. Commander Shepard," she said._

 _Hackett stumbled forward with stiff, melting limbs._

 _"_ _Uh … yes, yes … our two human Spectres, Councilor. And this is Councilor Ilk." Hackett turned to one of the salarians. The salarians started to blink again and shifted to reveal one in the back reading his datapad. He lowered it, coming forward a step with a sigh, and nodded. Hackett nodded toward the blading man in front of them. "This is Councilor Mathew Mason. Councilors, delegates, this is …" Hackett's sighed with pinched lips and waved a limp hand their direction. "Spectre Shepard. Spectre Alenko."_

 _Kaidan stepped forward and shook Councilor Mason's hand. As he stepped back, he looked sideways at Shepard with big eyes. Kaidan snapped his attention back to Hackett. The admiral touched his temple shaking his head as he turned around._

 _"_ _Let's, uh … continue on then, Councilors. I have some members of the Admiral Board I'd like you to meet." He shot a brief glance back their direction, but didn't meet their eyes. "Spectres." He gave a nod and led the group stumbling after him, throwing looks over their shoulder at Shepard and Kaidan, until they rounded a garden hedge. Their footsteps faded._

 _Kaidan spun to her. "If we survive this war, I'm going to be mortified about this."_

 _"_ _You do look a little flushed."_

 _Kaidan tumbled over to her. "How are you not? You're paler than I am!"_

 _"_ _Probably just can't see it through the mud."_

 _He wiped a thumb across her cheek then laughed. "I'm just making you dirtier." He stared at his hand then drug it across the front of his uniform. He looked at it again. "Useless, Shepard. Useless."_

 _She ran a hand through her goopy hair, and then stared at it. She smiled up at Kaidan._

 _"_ _There. On your face. Come here." She stepped closer._

 _Kaidan narrowed his eyes but didn't step back._

 _Her teeth peeked through the mud. "Let me get that …"_

 _He caught her wrist. "No way."_

 _She eyed him grin twisting deeper and making his eyebrows draw together. She dropped her head and shook her hair violently spewing muck._

 _"_ _Shepard!" Kaidan stumbled back, a blue shield faring up._

 _"_ _Using biotics to save yourself, Kaidan?"_

 _Kaidan laughed holding up a finger. "I'm respectfully only using defensive tactics. Though … damn, Shepard. If I wasn't muddy enough."_

 _Shepard's eyes wandered to the corner of the hedge where the delegates had disappeared. She drew in a hot breath seeing their faces stare at her. A sputtering laugh broke out between her teeth._

 _"_ _Damnit. That was – I can't believe that happened." She hunched forward with aching ribs. "I'm horrified. It's hitting me now."_

 _"_ _About time," Kaidan said. "Everything always hits you later. I can't be horrified alone on this."_

 _Shepard grabbed his arms, facing him, and laughing into each other._

 _"_ _You're not alone," she said._

 _He grinned at her. Her face strained from smiling._

 _"_ _I know that," Kaidan nodded toward the corner of the hedge, "because I'm pretty sure Admiral Hackett is just as horrified."_

 _They stood grinning and holding each other's eye. Shepard dropped her hands from his arm and backed up. Salarian Congressional Capitol. It was unprofessional as was. Kaidan smirked at her, folding his arms, and standing in shoulder to shoulder with her. They looking out over the shaggy hedges and serpentine, crab grass-fringed pathways. She folded her arms and couldn't smother the pulling grin. Out of the corner of her eye, he grinned just as wide._

Shepard hunched forward in the shower over her knees. The cooling water washed over her face and down her calves to her toes. She closed her eyes. A smile spread across her lips.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Major Alenko."

Kaidan slowed to a stop in the hallway and turned as Admiral Hackett strode up behind him. This hallway in the Alliance's council wing didn't have much traffic. Doubtful this was serendipitous.

"Admiral," Kaidan saluted.

Hackett stopped in front of him and returned the salute.

"So, Major. How was your trip to Jump Zero?"

Kaidan hesitated then settled on, "Good."

"Heard some crazy things about your time. These pro-human groups are brazen."

"Only brazen because it didn't go as planned."

According to plan, the warehouse workers should have found Kaidan slumped next to the hacked vid system panel, no one the wiser about how it happened. Kaidan hoped they'd give him a benefit of a doubt and not jump to the conclusion he'd electrocuted himself. Still, a better outcome than if the crate-smashing trick had worked. Probably would have sent some warehouse workers to therapy stumbling across that mess the next the morning.

"A bad turn of events." Hackett nodded. "I was hoping to catch you."

"How did you know where I was?"

"You're reinstated to active duty, Major."

Kaidan shifted on his feet. "Isn't there some probationary sit-down? It hasn't been thirty days yet, sir."

"I know," Admiral Hackett said, "but things are moving forward. After the ballistics on that bullet and crew testimony, it's clear your reservations concerning XO Anchor weren't misplaced. Now that Commander Shepard has been interviewed, the case should be closing out. Summit security is our priority now. What happens later, we'll discuss at another time, but for now, it's been decided to wave the last few days of the suspension."

Kaidan tucked his hands under his arms. "Just like that?"

Hackett gave a firm nod.

"Admiral, no disrespect. This feels pretty unofficial for how officially it was initiated. I didn't even think you were involved, to now be the one telling me this … in a hallway … where you happened to catch me."

"You will receive a more official message later today."

"A message?"

"A message, Major."

Kaidan eyed him but finally nodded. "Okay, sir."

"Look," Hackett sighed. "The suspension wasn't about whether you were right or wrong but over conduct. I don't think those involved in the decision would say, or perhaps believe, they made any error in that decision. However, there is a certain air of embarrassment over it. It's not escaped notice that your efforts lead to the Normandy's rescue. Your insistence in XO Anchor's complicity turned out to be correct. Now having praised him publicly and made him out as tragic victim, the Alliance has … well, you can imagine. Trying to release that fact under the radar really only inflamed the lash back. For all that, while in their minds they're not wrong, they would rather just send a message. I wasn't dispatched to tell you, but I am telling you since I know about it and you're here."

Kaidan stared at the floor and nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Admiral."

"You still report to me though," Hackett said. "Be glad of that."

"I am," Kaidan said. "I've never been happier that you're the one over me, Admiral."

"Then, good. I'm glad we had this chat, Major. I'll be sending you an appointment to discuss some plans for the future."

"Yes, sir." Kaidan glanced down the hall. Admiral Hackett didn't make a move to leave or dismiss him. "I'm sorry. I have an appointment with Councilor Mason, sir."

Hackett smiled. "Let's go then."

"Both of us?" Kaidan said hesitantly. "It's just an informal meet up, sir."

"I'll come with you."

Kaidan didn't move. "Admiral, maybe you shouldn't come. I don't know if you'll like what you hear."

"Really?" Hackett raised his eyebrows but smiled. "That so?"

Kaidan eyed him with a frown. He nodded.

"Well …" Hackett paused. "Perhaps there's important information to discuss for Council and Alliance security, Major. You see, there are some messages. After review, the messages have been deemed immaterial to the case. You're reinstated in active duty. It shouldn't be amiss for me to release them to you. Perhaps your background infiltrating and hunting Terra Firma may give you insights missed on initial review of the documents. I've already granted you classified access. We recovered them off a private datapad recovered off the Normandy. They're Lieutenant Commander Anchor's emails."

Kaidan smiled widely. "You don't say, Admiral."

"I do say, Major. Now, let's go. I think we're late."

XXX

"The opening ceremony? You're sure?" Mason pushed his folded hands across the desk as he leaned forward.

Kaidan pointed at the datapad under Mason's arms on the desk. "The messages make it sound like the Normandy was supposed to be here that night. Everything points to the Scorpion leaving on the ship. Seems like a getaway."

"Getaway?" Hackett rested an arm on the chair and rubbed a finger across his lips.

"We know something is going to happen during the Summit," Kaidan said. "Terra Firma doesn't want anything decided at the Summit, and they're doing this because it's big and public. What's more important than the opening ceremony? All the greatest contributors to the war efforts - the war heroes, the Council, Alliance leadership – they're all there. There in front of cameras, in front of the entire galaxy. Whatever happens is chronicled and immortalized in history. If the Scorpion takes center stage in that, he'll need a getaway."

Hacket made a hmming sound. "Why leave Earth? Up until last year, Terra Firma was targeting interstellar travel, destroying space ships docked on Earth."

Kaidan turned to him. "Why did they stop? It's the same time they started to really organize and the name 'Scorpion' appeared. Whatever this strike is. I think it's been planned that long."

The leather creaked as Mason leaned back in his chair. He tapped the datapad with a finger.

"The other messages mention targeting the relays. Why take the ship off planet if the relays won't be completed? Just to hold out until things on Earth settle?"

Kaidan shrugged. "I don't know. The list of targets Anchor is directed to target before transferring control to the Scorpion … it's a broad range from targeting human colonies, the relay construction forces, to the Blue Sons."

"Why target the Blue Sons?' Hackett asked.

"Competition. A threat. I don't know."

Mason's expression darkened, eyes straying to a family portrait on his desk. He saw Kaidan watching him and straightened.

"This large-scale assault," he said. "The messages elude to it. Is it just the Scorpion's attack at the Summit's opening ceremonies or something broader?"

"I think …" Kaidan paused then shrugged. "I don't know."

Mason frowned. "What is it, Spectre? I'm not expecting you to _know_. This can be conjecture. I want your honest theory, if you have one."

Kaidan glanced between Mason and Hackett. "I believe there's more than the Scorpion's spectacle at the Summit. The Scorpion will be there, get the attention and credit in this show of power. Important people die. Earth, the galaxy are left in awe or terror. For whatever reason, the Scorpion leaves on the Normandy that's been biding its time sowing discord and removing threats. That's all the big spectacle."

"But you think there's more to it?" Mason asked.

"I think, like you said Councilor, there's an implied larger scale attack. Terra Firma agents are amassing here in Vancouver. They're here for something. Something big enough to draw them all in, their best people. Maybe they're targeting Alliance Council HQ, maybe Vancouver, maybe it's something planet-wide signaled by the spectacle on live vid, I'm not sure. But I think a lot of people, civilians that have nothing to do with it, will be collateral damage."

Mason sighed. "The Council removed, Alliance leadership dead, the most influential war heroes and alien leaders killed. Depending on other targets, if communication and resource lines were cut away, Earth would be thrown into chaos."

"Human anarchy, at least for a time, controling Earth," Kaidan said. "If the relays aren't repaired in Arcturus or Sol, no one comes or goes. Maybe that's what the space ships are for. When the Scorpion came to power, he made them see the long-term goals. If you want to be a separatist, the relays can't be complete. AT some point though, the aliens will want to know what happened, take revenge maybe. Sooner or later someone's making it to the Arcturus cluster, and at some point, they'll want to repair that relay. Maybe the ships are there to defend against that, or maybe Terra Firma just has plans for the surrounding human colonies and space stations."

"Earth in anarchy. The Scorpion defending from above," Mason said.

"And ruling from above then? This Scorpion?" Hackett asked.

"Who knows?" Kaidan said. "Anchor's messages only covered up to the point of transferring the ship to the Scorpion. I haven't uncovered anything about the plans for afterward."

"Maybe they haven't thought that far," Hackett said.

"The Scorpion will have," Kaidan said. "Terra Firma in general with its heterogenicity and disorganization, maybe not have planned that far. There are layers to Terra Firma though. Anchor had a deleted message referring to a surprise for the Scorpion. I don't think it's a good one."

"A group inside working against the Scorpion?" Mason asked.

"They're on our side then?" Hackett asked.

"I think they're their own side," Kaidan said. "Maybe some of the members don't think they need the Scorpion around bossing things after they've made their goal."

They sat silent for a moment. Mason stirred.

"What about these alien mercs working for them? Why work for a pro-human agenda. What do they think will happen after Terra Firma seizes control?"

"Maybe they don't know the plan," Kaidan offered. "Or they've been promised something."

"Well," Mason said at last spreading his hands across the desk. "I will share this information among the Council. I imagine it's best to keep this close to the chest. We need whatever leg up we can get. Other than the other councilors, it won't be shared."

Hackett nodded. "Agreed. There is …" Hackett paused as if searching for how to say it. "There's some concern over infiltration in Alliance leadership. This isn't known for sure, but there have been anomalies - information leaked from high levels and tampering. Some of its outside hacking but some things? It can't be explained. Alenko, pass this information where you see fit, but I don't …" Hackett's brow knitted, and he sighed. "I'll leave it here. I'm not passing it along. I don't want any report or message about this, at least not until after the fact. For now, you and I haven't met about this, Alenko. You have proper access to the information. You won't be in trouble for digging and using Alliance resources, but don't come by my office. If you need me, find me around."

Kaidan frowned as a heaviness settled over him. No Alliance help. To distrust them even, for now. Hackett was backing off. Kaidan glanced at Mason. There was the Council, but for all purposes and effects, Kaidan was on his own.

"Councilor," the comm on Mason's desk said.

Mason pressed his lips with a frown and pushed the intercom button. "I asked you to hold my—"

"It's a Class A message, Councilor."

Mason's eyes widened. He scooted forward in his chair and leaned toward the intercom.

"Did they say what it's about?"

"Yes, Councilor," the voice paused. "Councilor, it's about the Mass Effect Shard. The armed transfer to the ship, there were complications."

"And the shard?" Mason stood, finger white from pressure on the intercom key.

"Gone, Councilor."

Mason's eyes snapped to Kaidan's. Kaidan exhaled sharply and slouched back in the chair. He rubbed a thumb against his temple and glanced at Hackett. They all had the same expression.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Cameras and reporters mingled with the roaring crowd in civilian attire and Alliance uniforms erupting around Shepard. She pushed through them off the loading ramp into the terminal and held her datapad up to block the flash of lights. Voices yelled questions as bodies clamored against her. A pair of C-sec officers shoved through and flanked her. They pushed away the crowd for her to pass.

"Commander Shepard!" one of the reporters yelled. "What happened on the Normandy?"

"Commander Shepard, did you know your XO was involved in a terrorist plot?"

"Commander, were you seriously injured? Did it take a month to fully recover?"

"Are you back for the Summit? Will you be taking part?"

"Bloody reporters," Miranda muttered shoving up beside Shepard.

Liara stumbled along at Shepard's heels. "Shepard, can you see where we're going?"

"Just keep up." Shepard bulled ahead. C-sec moved slightly ahead turning the crowd aside like a plow.

The crowd pursued her all the way to the Alliance leadership wing. The Alliance guard's eyes widened as Shepard neared trailing a storm of reporters. Miranda and Liara fell back as they approached the hallway entrance. Shepard gave them a firm nod and flashed her ID at the twitching guards manning the desk. One of the guards called into his Omni-Tool for security. C-Sec held their arms out fencing away the surging crowd yelling out to her. She plunged past security and down the central hallway. She cut down the first corner taking a deep breath. The roaring voices faded behind her as she strode down the hall.

She returned some salutes walking down the hall before slow at the office door. She had to get it over with. With all the reporters, vids probably live right now, they'd know she was back. Putting off checking in with the Alliance would only cause problems.

The assistant's moussed hair bobbed as he looked up from the desk. He motioned to the couch with a duck-billed press to his lips. He didn't go through the usual farce of wondering who she was and if she had an appointment. Shepard sank onto the edge of the couch and sat stiffly. Now for the tenderizing marinade of waiting, probably while Wilson played minesweep on his Omni-Tool watching the timer until he figured she'd soaked long enough. Then would come the chewing part. As far as she knew, she wasn't in any sort of trouble, but that didn't mean much. She was always in trouble anymore.

The assistant pranced to his feet pulling up the collar on his uniform before crossing to Wilson's office door. He smoothed a strand of hair in place and punched the door's button. Shepard frowned rising hesitantly to her feet. The assistant gave a simple wave of the hand to the doorway. He made eye contact with her, a little sneering, but clearly directing the motion to her. She hadn't even been waiting two minutes. She plodded over and stepped into Admiral Wilson's office. He sat with steepled fingers at his desk.

"Thank you, Anthony. Commander Shepard."

"Admiral Wilson." Shepard saluted.

He pushed his chair back standing to return the salute.

"Sit." He waved at the chair in front of his desk, even gave a smile. "How are you?"

Shepard stood frozen. This was more alarming than if he'd pulled a cat o' nine tails from the desk drawer and circled her patting it in one palm. This was worse, she just didn't know how yet.

"I'm well," she offered slowly coming forward.

He lowered himself back into his chair as she took a seat in front of him.

"So, Commander …"

"Yes, sir?"

"You'll be in involved in with the Summit, I take it?"

"Yes."

Wilson nodded as he rocked back in his chair. "You've finished your interviews for the investigation? Made the proper reports?"

Between sitting on the station and pacing in the cabin on the ship back, she'd had plenty of time to finish her reports.

"And you've submitted everything?" he asked.

She nodded again.

"Very well." He spread his hands. "Anything you need from the Alliance, right now?"

Shepard eyed him. Could be he thought there was something specific she needed, meant to entrap her somehow. Hell if she knew how though.

"No," she said at last.

"Very well." He sat forward, putting his hands on the desk, and stood.

Shepard stopped herself from twisting her hands together in her lap. She pressed her palms flat on her legs and straightened as he circled.

"So, Commander Shepard," he murmured. "That was an awful mess."

Here it was then.

"We're aware of Anchor's involvement now. At the time, he was an exceptional marine. His track record unassailable." Wilsons puffed out a long breath and shook his head. "Absolutely shocking turn of events. His betrayal has shaken the core of the Alliance. If a mole like that can go undetected, how many more could there be? How many more lives could be lost to them. Sickens us. Sickens me."

He pressed a palm to his chest with a deep frown. Shepard strained to watch him as he paced to the window.

"The lives lost to this …" He drew a breath in sharply looking out the window. He turned and faced her with slow blinking eyes. "Per the accounts of James Vega and the other crew, you're credited with stopping the takeover. Many more lives may have been lost, beyond even just the crew, if they had gotten hold of that ship."

Shepard waited.

"What do you think of Lieutenant Commander Vega?" Wilson asked.

Shepard cocked her head and smoothed out a frown. Strange segway.

"He's a better marine than Anchor ever was on paper. As far as Anchor is what's wrong in a soldier, Commander Vega is what's right. You can trust him. He's an exceptional officer."

Wilson's mouth turned up thoughtfully, and he nodded to himself returning to his desk but not sitting yet.

"He acted commendably in managing the crew in the crisis and has been helpful in reconstructing the events, giving insights. He recovered some important materials, though that may not have been all his own doing. He's showed leadership under pressure and seems to have the respect of the crew. There may be some bigger things coming for Vega. Coming for you too."

Wilson's eyes turned to her. Shepard smiled weakly. Work your way too high, and you rode a desk instead of a starship.

"Don't worry, Commander." Wilson watched her. "We're not taking away the Normandy. She'll be yours again after she's been mopped up."

"All right."

"You'll just have a fancier name for your XO to announce when you come on deck. An XO you get to choose this time. I'll send you files to review. New crew."

Shepard considered for a moment before saying it.

"Sir, I don't know how much I can get from reading personnel files."

"Interview them then. No reason you can't see what they're about before choosing someone."

"Thanks, sir."

Shepard's back stiffened. Her guard was starting to go down. She needed to focus. Wilson tapped the desk with his fingertips before moving to his chair. He paused.

"That's it, Commander." He smoothed his uniform as he lowered himself down. "Long as you're done."

Shepard watched him guardedly. He folded his hands on the desk and waited.

"I am, Admiral."

"Good. I don't need to see you until after the Summit."

Shepard stood slowly.

"Understood, sir."

She backed up to the door then turned.

"Shepard?"

Shepard froze. She knew it. Wilson's chair creaked as he stood. She turned slowly mustering a smile.

"Next time," he said, "let's talk a little more about a problem onboard. I won't be as quick to dismiss it."

Shepard stared at him. She swallowed.

"Thanks, Admiral."

As the doors to his office slid close behind her, she frowned. Alliance staff nodded as they passed by her. She moved with shuffling steps and glanced back at the office again. No one was chasing her down and waving her back for a final word. That really was it then. Maybe she actually hadn't woken up from the coma.

XXX

Club music pulsed. It beat in Shepard's chest with more force than her heart. Violet and red lights swirled momentarily blinding her. Club goers gawked whispered as she passed. Some openly flashed smiles at her raising martini glasses in her direction. One man shoved out by his buddies stumbled toward her with an alcoholed grin. His friends hooted behind him. Shepard mixed into the dancers as he craned to look over the heads. He receded from view in the hot mingling of bodies and lights.

Her celebrity was becoming intolerable. She'd have to change her hair or wear sunglasses everywhere. The hysteria over the Normandy coup, for some reason it drew in the public - the XO mole and Langley Trojan Horse. Trojan horse … She grinned so widely it hurt her cheeks. Damnit, she knew what a horse was! What an ass.

"Shepard! Over here!"

Shepard twisted her head and raised on her tippy toes to see over an amorous pair of humans running hands over each other as they danced. Tali stood up from a table by the wall and waved her over. Shepard dodged around a busty brunette laughing with her friends then ducked past a waiter carrying drinks above his head.

"Hey, Commander." Joker scooted to make room on the half-circled bench, but Shepard drew a chair over instead. She plopped it down between Tali and Joker.

"Hey, guys," Shepard said looking around at the four faces.

"How long you been out bailando, Lola?" Vega stood and fist bumped her over the table. "I'll baliamos toda la noche with you."

"Dangerous undertaking, James." Garrus raised a glass to her. "There's brave and then there's foolhardy. Running at a charging brute - brave. Asking Shepard to dance - I'll let you decide."

"Not all of us here have your way with the beat," Tali said.

"Not anymore," Garrus agreed. "Shepard just sat down."

"Ha ha. Laugh it up." Shepard rolled her eyes. "You're just sore I'm a better shot than you. But you can comfort yourself knowing you'd beat me in a dance off, Garrus."

"Woo, woo," James laughed clanking his glass into Garrus's.

"Right," Garrus said. "How about a show down shooting cans and doing the four step? Game, Shepard?"

Shepard accepted a martini from a waiter.

"You'll need a lot more in me that this, Garrus."

Joker chuckled and pointed off toward the bar. "Uh, we didn't order that for you, Commander. I think your that guy's date now."

Shepard spun her head to the bar. "Oh, damn."

"You're looking at the red head with the beard, right?" James asked. "Not that vorcha?"

Shepard turned a sour face to him. "Right, James."

He held up his hands. "I don't know your tastes. Didn't want you to be disappointed at the end of the night when it's the red head trying to loop you into the cab."

"I figured it out by the waggling red eyebrows."

"And the wink," Joker said. "Don't forget the wink."

"Aww." Tali's head turned to the bar. "What do I have to do for free drinks?"

"Uh …" James motioned to the elevated stage with asari dancers twisting and arching to the beat. "They get free drinks. Guaranteed."

"Oh," Tali said.

"Don't worry, Kid." Garrus put an arm over her shoulder. "I've got you covered."

"I suppose that means I have to go home with you now."

"You'd better. I'm not letting James take you home."

James waved at the waiter then turned to Garrus. "Uh, I've seen your shot with that scope. I'd be muerto before you finished the first box step. I ain't going there. Sorry, Tali, no offense."

"None taken. The blood would stain my suit."

Garrus squeezed her under his arm. "I'd wait until Vega was stepped back enough a good cleaner could get it out."

"Okay. It's my best suit."

"Uh," James tapped the table with his fingers. "We're not really planning this, right?"

"I know it's your best suit," Garrus continued. "I like it on you and I like it …"

"And this is where it gets awkward." Joker put his face into a pint of beer.

" … off of you," Garrus finished looking challengingly around at them.

James chuckled. "Damn. Woulda wagered on you going with 'on the floor.' Good thing a booker wasn't around for it."

"If it's on the floor, James." Tali leaned forward. "It would get dirty or at least wrinkled."

"And it's her favorite suit," Garrus said.

"Aw. Thanks," Tali leaned back with a wobble. "Whoa."

Garrus grinned at her. "No, you can lean all the way back. We're in a booth this time."

"Oh, oh. Good. Good. I'll do that then."

"Uh … I don't need to know," James laughed.

"I can imagine." Shepard swirled the last of her martini around the glass.

"You gonna eat that olive, Lola?"

"Yeah, I don't want it." She held the glass out to him.

James stood and plucked the olive out of the glass, bit down on the toothpick, and drew out it out from between his lips. He flicked onto the table.

Garrus elbowed James and pointed with his head. "Think you turned that guy on over there, Vega."

"Not my vorcha, right?" Shepard spun to look.

A shaved headed with vines and skulls tattooed up his arms leaned across the bar and whispered something in the bartender's ear. He motioned in their direction.

"Well, well." Shepard turned back. "I guess I'm not the only one getting bought tonight."

"Oh damn." James laughed.

"I wish I could pull a toothpick out between my teeth," Tali mumbled.

"Hey, I got you covered, remember?" Garrus said.

Joker chuckled. "Uh, Tali. You pull it out with your teeth, they'll be running off. You gotta pull it out all sultry between plumped lips. Like James did."

"Yeah, James." Shepard drained her glass and smacked it down on the table. "I need another drink. Do it again."

"What? I ain't doing it again. And when my drink does come, Lola, it's mine, not yours. I earned it."

"With my olive!" Shepard said.

"It's like a gun, Shepard," Garrus said. "You have to use it right to get the bang out of it."

"Sitting in my glass was 'no bang,' huh?"

"See anyone else buy you a drink?" Garrus said. "Definitely 'no bang.'"

"She's already paid for." Tali motioned in her direction. "She's going home with the red head."

"True," James shrugged. "Kind of like throwing credits down the well."

"Yeah? Look who's talking," Shepard said.

A waiter lowered a tray with a pint of beer. James froze. Garrus plucked it off the tray and plopped it in front of James.

"Maybe it's actually from that sexy, dark haired chica over there?"

"Been watching you oogle her on the dance floor," Garrus said. "Hasn't looked this way."

Shepard smiled. "Hey, I could—"

"Oh, damn." James's face turned deer-like. "Oh, sh—"

"Vega's date's on his way over to collect." Joker laughed looking down into his glass.

"Quick. Someone take a drink of this so it ain't mine." James edged it toward Joker. "I haven't had any."

"Like, cool down, James." Joker nudged it back. "He looks like a nice guy, and I'm sure there's still uninked space on his body for your name one day."

"Joker, I'm gonna—"

"Here." Shepard reached over the table and grabbed the pint of beer. She took a long slurp and turned back to the tattooed man. He stopped dead in his tracks halfway to their table. Shepard raised the mug to him, raising her eyebrows, and making a shooting motion with her free hand. He pulled his head back lips retracted.

"Whoa, Shepard." Joker laughed. "That face said more than a string of insults could."

The tattooed man stumbled back and turned reluctantly back to the bar. He glanced back at them, mouth slightly ajar. Shepard held up her pint and looked over a raised shoulder with a wink. He whipped his head back to the bar.

"Damn, Lola," James chuckled. "You know how to charm the barflies."

"Whoa, look." Joker hunched forward with a shaking laugh. "I think you insulted your sponsor, Shepard."

The red head's face pinched in a dark frown as he dropped off the stool at the bar. He glared slamming his mug down on the bar and stalked away through the crowd.

"Well then." Shepard sank back into the chair.

"Guess it's a cold night for you tonight, Shepard." Garrus grinned.

"My plans for a litter of gingers … damn." Shepard took a long pull of beer then looked over at James with a smirk. "See, got it after all. Ta da."

"Ta da, Lola?" James motioned around his mouth. "You got a beer mustache going on."

"Real attractive, Shepard," Garrus agreed. "Maybe the vorcha'll like it."

"You think?" Shepard whipped her head to the bar straining to look then turned back as if disappointed. "He wasn't looking."

Joker snorted. "That's what I'd do too if a woman with a mustache was checking me out."

James shrugged. "Depends on the beer. For the mustache. If it's lite stuff, then no way, but that stuff's good. Walk around a little, Lola. Your chances aren't bad."

Shepard cocked her head with a smirk. "What about you, James? Want a taste?"

"Uh …"

Shepard wiped her lips with the back of her hand.

"Why'd you do that?" Joker poked her. "The vorcha's looking now."

"Really?" Shepard took a full swig of beer and spun around. "Where is he?"

"Did you get the mustache again?" Garrus asked. "Turn here."

"What do you think, Tali?" Shepard turned.

"Poor kid's asleep," Garrus said.

"There goes your hot hook up too, huh, Scars?" James cackled. "Hard night for the buyers."

"The tattooed human could've had Shepard pretty easy," Garrus said. "She practically threw herself at him, beer mustache, and all."

"That was before I got my 'stache, Garrus."

"You musta shaved. It's gone now." Garrus drank from his glass. "This is almost gone."

Joker leaned into Shepard. "Get a wide enough mug, and you could get a full beard going."

Shepard grinned. "I'd be beating off the vorcha then."

"What?" Tali bolted upright. "Is there a fight?"

"What?" James laughed twisting to look at her. "What's she talking about?"

"Shepard wants to beat up some vorcha," Garrus leaned his head to Tali's, "but she's not actually going to do it. Right, Shepard?"

"No," Shepard sighed. "I'm almost out of beer. How would I lure them?"

"And I only see one," Joker said.

"Might have friends outside." Shepard shook her head sadly. "But I'll never know. Alas, I'm out of beer." She reached across the table for the discarded toothpick and flicked it at James. "Another!"

James batted it away. "Get your own. I'm not enabling your vorcha debauchery."

"Oh, damn." Shepard stretched back laughing. "You think they bite?"

"Looks like they do." James shrugged.

"Shepard, Shepard, Shepard." Tali swayed leaning over and draped an arm over Shepard.

"Don't steal my date, Shepard," Garrus said. "You heard my warning to James."

Shepard scooted her chair closer to the bench putting her arm around Tali. She grinned at Garrus.

"I'd stay in nice and close, Garrus. Remember. It's her best suit."

"Damn you, Shepard." Garrus waved a fisted claw at her. "Why can't human blood be clear?"

"We are like 75% aqua or something," James said.

"I don't think it's 75% water for some of us." Joker poked Shepard's empty pint. "Right, Commander?"

"I only had two."

"You're a twig, Lola. Two for you is like ten for the Vega."

"Which is like a shot glass for Tali." Joker pointed at them.

Tali's head drooped against Shepard's shoulder. Shepard patted her shoulder.

"It's okay, Tali. We girls'll stick together."

"Oh, good," Tali mumbled. "That's just … so, so good …"

"Damn, Scars. You carry her home every night?"

"Her home, my home. Same place. Inconvenience isn't high."

"Carrying her every night though? I thought you were looking buffer, hombre." James grinned.

"You see that through my suit, do you?"

"Well, no. You're neck's more … strapping."

Joker smirked. "And that's how he gets all the men."

Shepard twisted toward the bar and turned back. "The vorcha might like that line, James."

"You're obsessed with that vorcha, Lola." James pointed at her. "I told you. You're on your own. I see you tomorrow and one side of your neck's all chewed up … remember we had this conversation."

Joker slapped the table. "Nice."

James put up a palm, and Joker slapped it.

Garrus looked over at Shepard and mouthed, "What does that mean?"

"Try it, Garrus," Shepard motioned. "You might like it."

"Put it there, Scars. Give me … uh, three? How many you got there?"

Tali pulled upright from under Shepard's arm. "Is someone buying me drinks? Did someone say they were buying me drinks?"

Garrus clapped James on the shoulder. "I changed my mind. Vega, Shepard … whichever one of you wants to pick up the tab, you can have her for tonight. Tonight only."

"I'm not good enough?" Joker sputtered.

"Sure, you too, Joker. But whoever says 'yes,' you're cleaning the vomit out of the ecosuit."

"Eww." Joker sat back.

"Pass."

"Pass."

"Oh, damn." Garrus reached over and drew Tali close. "Guess it's me and you again, Kid."

"That's my favorite anyway." She collapsed against him.

"Aww," Shepard slouched back with a grin.

Tali slumped against Garrus as he rubbed her arm. James beat his hands on the table to the rhythm of the music eyeing the brunette on the dance floor. Joker looked at Shepard sideways and grinned.

"Commander." He raised his glass.

"Joker." She lifted her empty mug.

She was happy to be alive.

They loitered by the skycar terminal with the club music throbbing behind them. Rhythmic lights reflecting across the landing pad from the open door. Joker swayed on his crutches beside her looking up at the night sky. No moon tonight.

Garrus's arm supported Tali dropping against him. "I think 'dibs' is what you humans say, so … dibs."

"No fair." James put his hands on his hips. "Didn't know the first skycar was up for dibs."

"Everything's up for dibs," Shepard agreed.

"Thanks, Shepard," Garrus said. "Way to respect the system."

"Bah!" James pawed a hand at them.

Tali pulled herself up straighter on Garrus's shoulder. "Shepard, we're glad you came back from that awfulness."

Shepard shifted on her feet. "Uh, thanks, Tali."

"Pretty damn rough, Shepard," Garrus said. "But you're alive … again."

"Yeah," Shepard said. "Wish there were more that could say that."

"Hey, you did what you could," Garrus said. "Like you always do."

"This time though," Shepard shrugged, "didn't feel like enough."

"Ah, Shepard. You can't save the galaxy every time."

"Scars, is right, Lola. You did what you could. Don't even know what would have gone down if you hadn't been there."

"I guess," Shepard sighed. "Sure."

"Don't worry about it," James smiled. "You did good. You're still standing. Come back fighting another day."

"Right," Shepard swallowed. Her throat felt dry.

"Here it is." Garrus twisted. "My dibs."

"You go ahead," James said. "I think my party quota ain't quite reached. Besides, that brunette's still in there. I'm going back in. Wish me luck."

Joker smirked. "Wish you luck or wish you get lucky?"

James grinned as he backed toward the door. "I'm James Vega. I don't need luck to get lucky."

Garrus helped a wobbly Tali into the skycar. Tali melted into her seat and gave a weak wave. Garrus paused halfway in.

"You're going to the memorial tomorrow, right, Shepard?"

"See you there," Shepard said.

"Skycar?" Tali lolled her head against Garrus. "Embassy's too far off route."

"We left the shuttle at the restaurant, remember?"

"Oh, oh, yeah. No, I don't remember that."

Garrus gave a nod as the door sealed close. The skycar lifted off. Another one wasn't in sight yet. James had already vanished into the pounding glow of the club. Shepard looked over at Joker.

"Fight you for the next one."

"Says the Champion of the Galaxy to the guy on crutches. Classy, Shepard."

"I'd let you get in the first hit."

"You died, what, three times and came back swinging? First hit isn't doing much."

"I suppose," Shepard said.

Joker glanced around them.

"Hey, uh, Shepard?"

"Uh huh?"

Joker shifted on his crutches and looked around them one more time.

"About that stuff you told me on Normandy. I don't, like, blame you or anything. You know, for EDI or whatever. What I said," Joker chewed the corner of his lip and straightened his baseball cap with one hand. "That stuff about wishing you'd died and all. I didn't really mean that."

Shepard smiled. "Hey, if you're wishing me dead worked, I'd be pretty pissed you weren't using that on the reapers. Woulda saved a lot of property damage."

"I guess."

"I get it though." Shepard shrugged. "Loss. Know that pretty well by now."

"It sucks. First my family, then EDI. I don't know, kinda feels like it's all or nothing, you know? Push stuff away. Guess it feels better choosing to lose something when everything else just gets taken. Some control when everything else's gone to hell."

Shepard raised her eyebrows. "Joker … that's actually pretty insightful."

"Yeah, that's usually why I stop before that last pint."

"It's a good side of you."

"Uh … yeah. Now this is all sentimental and crap. Let's talk about beer mustaches again or the X180 suspension drive. Something."

"Here's a skycar." Shepard nodded at the lights nearing in the darkness.

"You can have it," Joker said.

"There's another behind it. Just go."

"Aye, aye, Commander."

Joker slid his crutches in first then hopped inside. He gave a tipsy salute as the skycar lifted away. Shepard listened to the club music standing alone in the darkness. She tightened folded arms against her chest, and squinted up at the approaching hum of a skycar. The salty breeze gusted through Shepard's hair as she rushed up to the skycar's door. It popped open. An Alliance officer looked up at her - lower rank, unfamiliar, dark hair. He ducked under the shuttle door and hoped out with a sideways smile before continuing down the patio landing to the street. The bright outline of his uniform faded into the dark.

The shuttle's door stared to close. Shepard lunged and caught it. She glanced back along the wall, but he was gone. Shepard climbed into the seat and settled against the door as it clicked shut. The neons of the club dimmed away as it lifted.

Shepard leaned her face against the glass watching it fog with each breath. Leaving the barrage of lights, music, and movement, her eyes adjusted to the dark, ears ringing in the silence. Away from the nightlife and back home. She frowned. It wasn't really home, just a room. She wasn't really sure where home was. The Normandy, probably. A hollowness opened inside her. She'd been surrounded with so many people tonight, a club full of raucous movements and bodies, joking and cajoling with her closest friends. It didn't make sense how she could feel so alone.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Kaidan paged down the datapad's screen as he paced across his room. It felt better to be up and moving after sitting at his desk for hours reviewing his team's reports from Tokyo. His older reports from Prague filled the screen on his desk illuminating the dark room. Kaidan tossed the datapad down on the desk. Spectre reports were just as unhelpful.

There wasn't any reference to this Terra Firma meeting Allers mentioned. Maybe it wasn't even real. If there was a larger attack being planned, it was going to be impossible to counter without any real information. The key was that meeting, if it was real. It was too late to try infiltrating them here. There were no contacts and out of the few agents who'd worked their way in, none of them were involved in this gathering in Vancouver. They knew of an attack, sure, but nothing specific, nothing useful.

Kaidan closed his eyes, rubbed them with his fingertips, and released a long breath. He should have turned a lamp on when the room dimmed. Looking at bright lights in the dark? He knew the recipe. A light blinked on his Omni-Tool. His finger hovered over the button to check his messages. He let his hand drop and paced again.

He wasn't going to be able to sleep unless he took something. He didn't want to take any more sleep aids. He'd had too many weird dreams lately, fragmented. Remembering them on waking was like grabbing at smoke. No sleep aids tonight. He didn't even want any pills for the headache. It could have its way with him tonight. No drugs, no dreams. Kaidan paused by his bed. No drugs, no sleep either though. He glanced out the window at the darkness. He just needed to get out of this cage.

He rushed through the halls before finding an exit. Wet air chilled him as he rushed through the doors. The blackness enveloped him. On Headquarters's perch above the city, night felt dark and still, except for the city lights in the distance below and the far-off murmur of passing shuttles. Dark miles of lawn stretched to the dim shadows of the distant mountains. HQ was being built up along the coastal side. There was a new expansion every month pratically. The building was becoming a metropolis, but for now, this side was undeveloped, acres of rolling grassy slopes.

The Memorial Gardens spread out to his left running all the way to the ocean cliffs. Slab-like monuments rose in shadowy rows. Kaidan didn't want to see the columns of names glinting off the bronze plaques. Kaidan turned the other direction.

Dew dampened his pant legs as he brushed through the grass turning east. The dark part of Vancouver spread out in front of him. If the darkness rolled back, he knew what he'd see below - the moth-eaten frames of skyscrapers, collapsing shopping centers, broken shuttles, crumbling arches and pedestrian bridges - the dead part of Vancouver, not yet rebuilt.

Darkness thickened as he left the building lights behind. This was real night. On a ship or a station, day and night were arbitrary constructs. Night was a twelve-hour period of reduced staffing with nonessential operations suspended. It was just you telling yourself, "This is night time." Here though, night really was night.

He sank down onto the wet grass and rested his elbows on his knees. The living part of the city, sparking with buildings and skycar lights, spread to his left around the bay. The dead part, a stretch of blackness, spanning out to his right. In between ran a gray line where reconstruction was underway, where it was neither living nor dead but suspended somewhere in between. That felt familiar, living in the gray line.

Shepard was back. He'd seen it on the vids. The crowds had mobbed her - C-Sec officers shoving reporters back and yelling up at the buzzing camera lenses, Miranda and Liara flanking her as she ducked under the flashes. Quite the return party. Shepard had to hate it.

His Omni-Tool strobed a dim light across the blades of grass at his side. He should just read the message. It was juvenile just ignoring it. He sighed and punched it up before he could double think it. He ran his eyes over it and dismissed it. He hadn't even needed to read it even. Same thing, Liara wanted to talk to him. His chest throbbed matching the pain in his forehead. It was good to be out where it was cool, dark, and quiet.

He flopped back in the grass. He was committed now, utterly and thoroughly damp. It felt good to be in the grass though, feel it tickling the back of his neck, and the cool, damp blades sticking to his arms. The stars glittered above him. He breathed in and out tasting the earthy, wet air. He closed his eyes.

 _He sat with Shepard at a white linen tablet set with detailed silverware. Angelo's read across the top of the datapad menu. Shepard set it aside, folded her hands on the table, and gave him a red-lipped smile._

 _"_ _I told you we didn't need reservations. You wanted to go to Basil. Ha," Shepard said. "Well, we could have gotten in there too, but it's not as nice. Why settle for second when you can have this." She nodded around them. "Right? Nice? I think they make you keep your elbows off the table though. So, you know, glass half full, half empty, you decide – clean silverware, no elbows. Hey, what were you saying before? You think any of those messages –"_

 _A commotion in the corner made her swing her head around. A man stood up from a bent knee by one of the tables. A woman touched her finger. Platinum hair fell back from her face as she looked up at him with a shining grin. A few tables around them clapped._

 _Shepard rolled her eyes and turned back. "Corporal Vance. Worked together on The Liberty. That will make number four. Have to congratulate her later, I guess." She picked up her wine glass and took a sip. "Uh, anyway, lost my train of thought – of yeah. I've gotten all sorts of messages. 'Fans' and adamantly 'not fans.' Even had this asari come up to me at the Dungeon, convinced Garrus to give it another try. Anyway, bumped into me, spilled my drink, don't even know what it was. Then when she's cleaning me off with a napkin leaves me with this cryptic message written on the sticky thing. Warns me not to speak at the Summit."_

 _She sat back swirling the wine in her glass and looked back at him. "No, it's nothing. Not a threat. I'm just giving you an example. I get that stuff all the time. Just, that was memorable. Garrus jabbed me for being slipped her number, which I wasn't." Shepard blinked at him and shook her head. "No, it's nothing. Here – she was drunk. I was concerned for a moment. Followed her, but when I heard her around the corner – wasted. Going on about the s-summit, stutter with the name. Wrong place, wrong time. Obviously, someone worked up over the Summit, saw me, recognized me, made a fool of herself either yanking my chain for giggle or just really that wasted."_

 _Shepard turned away for a second. When she turned back to him, she frowned. "I'm fine. Don't worry. I shouldn't have said anything. It was funny. Think I should go congratulate them now? The hubbub's died down enough? Probably saw me looking. Awkward if I don't. You need a refill? Let me see if …"_

Kaidan woke with a gasp and blinked up at the dawn sky. He sat up, skin clammy, and grass prints crisscrossing the back of his arms. With a deep breath, he rubbed a hand over his face. His face actually had dew on it. He brushed off blades of glass as he got to his feet. The city was waking up down below. Sunlight crested the mountains.

He rubbed the chill out of his arms. He'd dreamed. He actually even remembered it - Shepard, the upscale restaurant. He tried to remember a time on Citadel when they may have gone somewhere like that. Never. He'd never seen her in that dress either. He'd remember. There wasn't a Summit being planned back then. It had to more recent then. She'd mentioned the Dungeon, that was Vancouver. He'd hardly seen her since arriving on Earth. No, it had never happened.

Strangely specific though. Clear for a dream - Angelo's restaurant, Corporal Vance. He brought up a search field on his Omni-Tool. This was crazy. He searched Alliance records for Vance. A string of Vances filled up the search que for Alliance military. The only corporal was a man Kaidan didn't recognize. He breathed out an easy breath and paused on the list of names. The corporal could have been promoted Kaidan supposed. He dismissed the profile with a flick and brought up the next name. He frowned and enlarged the profile picture - the woman at the restaurant, the same dimple and platinum A-line. She'd been promoted, moved to Reno, but she'd been in Vancouver and still a Corporal months ago. An extranet search even brought up an engagement announcement. Then man in the photo was the same one standing up from bended knee. Another search confirmed, she'd served on the Liberty with Shepard.

Kaidan's heart thumped. He dropped his arm to his side and stared down at the city. Buildings and skycar lights unfocused as his mind raced. Maybe he'd seen the announcement somewhere in the news. He could have met Vance during his time in the Alliance. Maybe Shepard had talked about her. It could all be rolling around in his subconscious.

He hung his head and pressed fingers to his eyelids. He had to look, confirm it one way or the other. He swallowed and brought up the extranet screen again. He typed in "Angelo's." A restaurant downtown Vancouver glowed on the screen. He stared at the address for a long time before snapping his Omni-Tool off. He released a long, slow breath before spinning around and marching back to the building. Angelo's was down by the bay near the Emerald Tower, near Liara's building. It wasn't a dream. It was a memory, and it hadn't been his.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"I know, Wrex."

"Only a few days left, Shepard."

"I am aware. I'll see what I can do."

Shepard stepped around Wrex in the Council wing's hallway. His clan wasn't with him today. When she'd met with Wrex the day before, the krogans had wrestled into a table of Omni-Tool mods in headquarters's mercantile section. A small krogan broke through a window. After Wrex stopped laughing, he sternly dressed them down, then laughed again afterward. Mixed messages, but that criticism didn't seem to resonate with Wrex. At least today, the krogan entourage wasn't here stirring up a commotion as the Council gathered.

"I've got to go. I'll check in with you later."

"Tick tock, Shepard."

She frowned back at him but continued into the Council chamber. It'd been a long time since being in here. She'd logged so many hours staring at this ceiling. A few months off felt like returning from sabbatical. Shepard moved through the gathering audience. They crowded the aisles shaking hands and joining loud discussions.

"Spectre." Tevos looked up from the stage's long, narrow table as Shepard approached.

She pushed through the banister's gate to the stage. A C-Sec officer looked over sharply then glanced at the Councilors. His posture relaxed, and he returned to surveying the crowd. Mason and Sparatus sat in their usual spots reviewing what was probably pre-meeting notes. Mason raised his head with a smile.

"Spectre Shepard."

"Councilors." She came all the way up to the table.

"That business on the Normandy was an atrocity," Tevos said.

"Agreed," Shepard said. "Thanks. But—wait, where's Councilor Ilk?"

Sparatus grumbled. "We have twenty minutes until the session starts. He has more important things to do than be early for a meeting."

"That so?" Shepard said. "Well, that's unfortunate. I hoped he'd be here."

"Oh, he will," Sparatus said. "In nineteen minutes. You're not usually here early yourself, Shepard, otherwise you'd know this."

More Alliance officials, Council delegates, and ambassadors streamed through the entrances filling the room. It was a larger group than normal with the Summit nearing and so many important representatives coming into the city.

"The Laurel will be at the end of the opening ceremony, Shepard," Tevos said. "You're a key figure for the Summit. You've seen the agenda?"

"Has it been released?"

"Unofficially," Mason said. "I'll send it to you. You've heard about the Mass Effect shard, I suppose?" Mason asked.

Shepard's muscles tightened. "Yes. Yes, I did."

"The Alliance is searching for it. Likely a Terra Firma hit. Until then, the relay's construction is stalled," Mason said.

"The media doesn't know about this?" Shepard said.

"No," Tevos confirmed. "If it can't be recovered soon, we'll announce it at the conclusion of the Summit. We'll make contingencies. It's been several days though and nothing."

"I'm sure they'll be some leads before long," Shepard said, then pressed her hand on the table and leaned into them. "Okay, listen. I know Urdnot Wrex has been trying to talk to you."

Tevos frowned and sat back in her chair with crossed arms. Sparatus sighed lifting his datapad off the table and started to read. Mason on the opposite side of Tevos just folded his hands on the desk and waited.

Shepard sighed. "The Council invited him here and the clan. Did he misunderstand?"

"No," Tevos said dryly. "But the invitation and his rowdy arrival has upset the non-Council races. Word leaked about us entertaining the idea of helping with the krogan relay. It's outraged some of the planet system leaders. We've been comm'ed from Thessia, Sur Kesh, Palaven, Dekkuna, Irune. The media even got wind of it. If it makes its way onto the Summit agenda, we'll have protests."

"We're already going to have protests," Shepard said. "Probably the same people planning to protest the relay reconstruction or the Asari-Prothean restitution will be the ones protesting the krogan. They'll just bring an extra sign to wave at the gate."

"This has the ambassadors, species leaders, and the new primarch on edge," Tevos said.

"Let them be on edge. Isn't the Summit about moving the high stakes, controversial issues into the public spotlight? To get the input and discussion from a collection of minds? Forge agreements with everyone finally in the same room for the first, maybe only, time?"

Sparatus fixed her with a frown. "We'd be gridlocked and frustrated, get nothing else done on the day's agenda, and decide nothing."

"The gridlock and frustration will be exponentially worse later when you're trying to involve hundreds of people over messages and vid comm sessions light years and solar systems apart. Because believe it, at some point, this will need figured out. It isn't going away. Ignoring it will make it bigger and more difficult than it already is."

Spartus clunked his datapad down on the table. "We will have years to figure this problem out - how to deal with the krogan, their inevitable expansion, how to quell it, the ethics. Decades to solve this over vid comms and messages, perhaps even have another meeting like this one day."

"Okay," Shepard pushed off from the desk and straightened. "While we have decades to figure out the krogan, as you say, what are they going to have decades to figure out about us? Like I said before, instead of diffusing a bomb, you're throwing fuel around it. You're making a self-fulfilling prophecy."

"And if a decision can't be reached at the Summit?" Mason asked.

"We could spend the entire meeting on just the krogan," Sparatus said.

"So, a decision isn't reached." Shepard shrugged her shoulders up and let them drop. "Is a decision going to be reached on everything listed on that agenda? Of course not, but at least by talking about it, giving them their time, you show you're willing to work with them and see their side."

"Their side," Sparatus snorted. "They're brutes. There's no reasoning with them."

"If you want them to see our side, you have to see their's too. You do that, you've gained something. Maybe there's not a full decision, a full agreement but it's progress nonetheless. Don't insult them like this. Just give them a couple of hours at the Summit. Inviting them, see their side, listen. It won't be a waste. And what can it hurt? A few extra picket signs? A few ambassadors and representatives using the next few days to throw their weight around and gripe? You're the Council, not them."

Sparatus gave a drawn-out sigh. Tevos glanced over at Mason before turning back to Shepard.

"Very well," Tevos said. "I'm not opposed to giving Urdnot Wrex some time at the Summit to speak. Perhaps as Shepard says, this can give us some foundation to build off, subvert mistakes that will cause a repeat of the past."

"Very doubtful," Sparatus grumbled, "but I don't think the drawbacks are great enough to prevent it. Let him talk then."

Mason nodded. "I agree. If Ilk consents, we'll add it to the agenda. The push back will be ugly though."

"Only a few more days," Shepard said backing up. "It's worth it."

"There's Ilk." Tevos turned to a door sliding open in the back of the stage.

"I'll talk to him," Mason assured. "I'll let you know when it's official."

"I'll talk to the new primarch if there's a stable comm," Shepard said. "You say she's concerned?"

Sparatus sat forward with a lurch. "She's an important system leader and very busy."

"She'll talk to me," Shepard said. "I just need heard out."

"That's the most dangerous part." Tevos smiled.

Shepard trotted down the stairs and back through the gate. Most of the audience was already seated. She saw an empty seat in the second row. Some Alliance uniforms stood with frowns letting her pass before she plopped down.

"First order of business," Tevos projected. "The Summit agenda …"

Shepard sighed. Back to the battle of the meetings.

XXX

Shepard tapped her datapad on her tight as she left session. She cut around the hallway corner and bumped up into a solid frame. Strong hands tightened on her arms and pushed her back.

"Aria?" Shepard smirked backing up.

Aria released Shepard's arms with a smirk. A small entourage of mismatched aliens stood behind her. The human to her right was so short, Shepard had to look twice at him. He gave her a wink with a toad-lipped smile.

"Shepard," Aria said.

"What are you doing in the Council Wing?" Shepard asked tearing her eyes away from a vorcha picking his teeth.

"Presenting myself for questioning like a good citizen." Aria put her hands on her hips.

"Questioning for what?" Shepard asked.

"Appears a lot of mercs are showing up under contract with that little terrorist organization you're all hunting."

"Terra Firma?"

"That's the one. Some asari assassin killed out on Jump Zero used to work for the Stilettos. Apparently, anyone hears 'mercenary' and my name is the next thing on the lips.'"

"Stilettos, the assassin – she worked for you, didn't she?"

"Worked, yes. Past tense. At least, _you_ have it right."

"And this?" Shepard waved at her entourage.

Two asari standing behind her stopped whispering and regarded Shepard with raised eyebrows. The vorcha, two humans, and and turien looked glanced around the empty hall.

"The merc leaders I'm still working with," Aria said. "Lots of defectors though. No money, no jobs. What does the council expect?"

Shepard shrugged.

"Read something about your last go-around on the Normandy," Aria said. "The Alliance stuck you with an outdated S-7 shuttle model. Almost killed you."

"Hmm. Couldn't draw me into Council-bashing, now you're changing the flavor to Alliance?"

"Just think you should keep your eyes open."

"Anyway, good luck," Shepard said. "I haven't forgotten our picture at the Summit."

"Watch yourself, Shepard," Aria said.

Aria turned to her gang and inclined her head forward. They fell in around her and moved down the hall. Shepard rolled her eyes and turned the other way.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Kaidan lingered outside the apartment's platinum door. His boots squeaked on the marble floor as he pivoted looking around the tall glass walls. The sun, just a bright glow in the haze, was more on the ocean than mountain side now. Vid chatting with his team in Tokyo, debriefs and material review, had used up most of the day. He checked the time on his Omni-Tool and glanced back at the elevator. He'd gotten this far. His eyes strayed to the gray water of the bay. It looked like it might rain.

A mechanical hiss. Kaidan reeled around. The door slid open. His muscles uncoiled and his hand dropped away from his belt. Tearing out your pistol probably wasn't the best instinct to foster in civilian life, at least for an opening door, even if unexpected.

"Oh, hey," Kaidan said. "I was about to ring."

Liara pursed her lips but didn't dispute it. He wasn't fooling anyone. She was the Shadow Broker. She'd probably know the minute his foot touched down from the skycar. She'd probably been waiting for him to ring with mounting impatience as he just stood here.

"Well, eventually," Kaidan amended.

Liara stepped back from the door and let him pass. Her apartment was the same. Same wide, open space with that faint lavender smell to it. Gray clouds rolled past the balcony on the other side of the glass walls. No assistant dithered in the corner this time. It was silent.

"How has everything been?" she asked coming around him from behind.

He looked away from the clouds. "Still nailing down information on the potential Summit attack. Or trying to."

"Terra Firma?" Liara asked.

Kaidan nodded.

"Just a potential attack?" she repeated. "I thought it was a known plot."

"It's known, but it hasn't happened yet. Just a potential attack."

Liara wandered to her left into a dark room lit by monitors. Kaidan hesitated before follow her in. The room was set up much like she'd had on the Normandy with wide screens covering the wall and multiple terminals.

"You miss Glyph?" he asked.

The minute he said it, he felt stupid. He knew she missed him.

"Yes," Liara said simply.

Kaidan came up beside her, and she brought up a holoscreen.

"Here," she said. "This is what I wanted you to see."

Kaidan's eyes skimmed over it. "An expense reports?"

"My source believes it's associated with the Terra Firma attack," she said then corrected. "Potential attack."

Kaidan gave her a small smile then turned back to the report.

"What are the highlights?"

"Construction materials. A lot of it. Marble, blue quartz. Some of the materials are used when working with eezo."

Kaidan touched his jaw and stood back. "Can you send them to me?"

"Of course. Here." She handed him a chip.

He palmed it then plugged it into his Omni-Tool.

"New Omni-Tool?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah. Had a nice shopping venture first day back."

"Not everything you had before though?"

He shrugged. "Take some mods and adjustments then eventually. Wish I'd saved more on back up."

Liara watched him passively with a blank face.

"Hey," he said. "I used the code you gave me. It worked. Perfectly even. I extracted a lot of useful data from those messages. Only big break we've had so far."

"Then," she gave him a flat smile, "you're welcome."

She twisted away and strode to the central terminal. Kaidan's chest tightened watching her rigidly click through the window screens. He glanced back at the door and gazed around the room in thought for a moment. Finally, he moved up beside her and turned his back to the screens to face her.

"Liara. I'm sorry I got upset with you."

Liara looked up but didn't say anything.

"I know you were just trying to help me," he said.

Liara tapped off the screen and turned to him with a tight face.

"You know it was more than that, Kaidan."

Kaidan took a deep breath and dropped his eyes. "I know."

Liara didn't say anything, but he could feel her eyes on him. He looked up sharply.

"I have dreams. I think they're your memories."

"Resonance," Liara said. "I'm having it too."

"Then this is normal?"

"I know of it, but it's uncommon."

Kaidan crossed his arms and focused on the floor for a few breaths.

"Is something wrong then?" he asked finally.

"No," Liara frowned. "It's just uncommon. The depth needed to touch the subconscious and cause a resonance is rare. Most … encounters are too guarded."

"But it will go away?"

"Eventually, it should fade."

"Fade? Fade away, right? Not just fade." Kaidan kept his voice even, but Liara's eyes widened at the tone.

"From everything I've heard—"

"You don't know?" he asked.

"No," Liara snapped. "I don't. This hasn't happened to me before either, Kaidan. I've only shared memories with Shepard, with my mother. Nothing like this."

Kaidan's brows drew together. His lips parted, but he wasn't sure what to say. Liara pulled her eyes away and passed around him. He caught her arm.

"Liara …"

She turned her head but didn't meet his eyes. "It will go away eventually. You're fine."

He dipped his head to catch her eye.

"Hey. I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Her eyes rose to his. The wall of monitors cast soft light onto the side of her face as she studied him. Blood rushed in his ears. She stepped closer.

"Kaidan—"

The door buzzed. Liara's head snapped toward the entryway. She turned back and touched Kaidan's shoulder. Her hand slipped down his arm, and she gave a squeeze before turning and leaving the room. As her shadow left the doorway, Kaidan released a long breath and covered the lower part of his face with both hands. His breath warmed his face as he paced slowly back and forth in the room. He wasn't sure who he was anymore. His eyes stopped on a screen. He dropped his hands and moved in closer. It was the Summit's unofficial agenda with times, presenters, awards, and topics of discussion. "Council Summit" read across the top. Kaidan's breath slowed as the words burned his vision.

 _"_ _Went on about the s-summit, stuttered with the name. Wrong time, wrong place."_

S-Summit wasn't a stutter. S. Summit for Spider Summit. He stumbled back and spun to the door. His steps slowed through the doorway.

"Javik?"

Javik stood in the apartment's entryway with Liara. He regarded Kaidan with twisted lips.

"Oh. It's you."

"You remember Kaidan." Liara motioned to him.

Javik turned his back to Kaidan and faced Liara. "You have made me late, Liara T'Soni. Even in my cycle such behavior was rude."

"We're not late," Liara huffed. "I told you three to three thirty."

"And it is three o'clock now."

Kaidan checked his Omni-Tool. An alert blinked on his calendar. He'd almost forgotten. Liara released a long breath and looked past Javik at Kaidan.

"You're coming?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, of course."

"Then we can all go together. Javik, you're ready?"

"Yes," Javik hissed and punched the open button on the apartment door.

"Let's go," Liara said.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Grass brushed under Shepard's boots as she threaded her way through the crowd. The Alliance Memorial Gardens teemed with Alliance uniforms grouping through the towering rows of stone slabs. Copper plaques glinted in the overcast light over the ocean. So many names in every direction.

"Commander."

James stood against the backside one of the monuments and gave her a droopy grin.

"James." Shepard strolled over to him.

Joker came up behind her on crutches. He stopped next to James and twisted his baseball cap in his hands. Voices greeted her, and Shepard turned to nod at Adams and Donnelly as they passed. Traynor broke off from them and shook Shepard hand with a flat expression.

"I hate these," Traynor said. "I didn't think we'd be back here so soon."

"Neither did I," Shepard said. "I shared a drink with her on the Normandy, talked. That was more of a good bye than these starchy things ever are."

"We should have a stiff drink to remember her," Traynor said. "I'm rooming near the dock holding the Normandy. Come by. I'll send you my room number."

As Traynor left, Joker huffed into Shepard's ear. "Hanson's working the yard. Said they're gutting her, Commander."

"They're replacing the elevator and doing some retrofitting. Don't get worked up," Shepard said.

Ceremonies like this weren't the real way to remember someone. Shepard's first funeral had been some solemn ceremony. When she had her second, people should just laugh and talk, enjoyed being together, no whispering and downcast faces.

"Long night, Commander Vega?" Shepard looked sideways at James.

James laughed as he stretched and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I guess, yeah."

"Oh, hey, Javik." Shepard snared Javik by the arm as he walked by.

Javik backstepped to face her. "Ah, it is you, Captain Commander. And others from the ship."

"First time I've seen you in months," Shepard said. "How you been?"

"I am mobbed wherever I go. It is a horrible thing."

"Hear ya," Shepard grinned.

"This I know. Commiseration was a common comfort among my people. I have noticed in yours as well."

"Then let's commiserate. You start."

James leaned across Shepard and held a palm out to Javik. "Remember the shake, Jav my Prothy friend?"

Javik thinned his lips and stared at the hand.

"Very well," he said finally.

They slipped hands and bumped fists.

"Are you pleased now?" Javik said.

"Highlight of the day."

"That has been a common reaction among the humans here. Highlight of a lifetime is more common."

James grinned. "Sorry, but gotta lot of highlights on that reel."

"No doubt." Javik turned back to Shepard. "Liara T'Soni explained to me that it is considered rude to not attend these ceremonies. That somehow looking at a picture of someone's name is a tribute. So, I have come."

"Dr. Chakwas would have like that, Javik," Shepard said.

"As she is no longer here that is irrelevant. To not appear rude in front of common acquaintances, I have come."

Joker let out a heavy breath of air. "Damn. That's cold, Javik. Why'd you even come?"

"I have already stated it, Joker Pilot. To avoid rudeness. However, I am late. So, I am rude nonetheless."

"Uh, right," Joker said turning to James to start their own conversation.

"You're not late, Javik," Shepard said. "The ceremony's still a few minutes off."

"I am late for the time I was told. I had to go to Dr. T'Soni's apartment since she did not come for me as agreed."

"Well, you're here now, Javik."

"As it would seem. Despite Dr. T'Soni and the male soldier's delay, I am here."

Shepard paused. "Male soldier?"

"The human from your ship. By not saying his name I displease Dr. T'Soni, which pleases me. I credit the male soldier's presence in her apartment for causing my lateness."

"You're not late," Shepard muttered absently scanning the crowd.

"I am late for the time that—"

"She gave you. Yes, I know."

Javik made a dissatisfied sound and looked around. "I go. A place in the back will allow a more orderly exit. Goodbye, Captain Commander."

He brushed past her. Shepard moved her head to see around a large block of people in the middle. There she was. Liara stood near the first monument in the row. Kaidan stood next to her.

James leaned in next to Shepard following her gaze. "Who you … Oh. Kaidan." James chuckled and shot a look at Joker. "Who gets to jump him first?"

"Uh, I like my bones not broken," Joker said.

"Wait for a dark alley then?"

"I think he needs to be asleep."

"Hmm, yeah." James grinned. "I already got the favor he owes me picked out."

"Damn, James," Joker said. "So quick? You gotta make him sweat."

Shepard frowned at them. "What did he do to you two?"

James snorted. His biceps bulged as he folded them across his chest. "Did L2 a favor and ended up collared by the turien Spectres."

Shepard cocked her head with an exaggerated frown. "And they didn't treat you nice, James? No cucumber water in the detention cell?"

"Ha. Right, Lola. But I'm owed one."

"And you, Joker? What's your tiff?"

"Uh ..."

"Go ahead. Tell her, Joker."

Shepard's eyes moved between them. "Yeah, Joker, do tell. Did the turien Spectres hurt your feelings, too?"

"Lola, have you met those Specs? Trust me. Ain't no fiesta, amiga."

"Well, Joker?" Shepard asked.

Joker wiped the back of a hand across his face and shrugged. "Doesn't matter."

"Planning to jump Kaidan in his sleep, but it doesn't matter?"

James grinned at Joker then laughed. "Hey, if you aren't going to say …"

"Fine," Joker said. "Kaidan used his freagin' biotics on me. Scared the crap outta me."

"Howled like a banshee," James laughed.

"It worked, didn't it? Drew their attention."

"Seemed pretty real, Joker."

"Uh, because it was."

Shepard shook her head with a smirk. "Okay, okay. When's this thing starting?"

"So, what's the favor?" Joker asked.

James's grin brimmed. "So last night, that hot chica was still out there dancing."

"The cute brunette?" Shepard said.

"Oh yeah," James said. "I think she's, like, Kaidan's cousin or something."

"What?" Shepard lifted her eyebrows. "You're joking?"

"I don't joke about hot chica's at bars, Lola."

"And now what? You want her contact info or something?"

"Well … yeah."

"It doesn't bother you she didn't give it to you herself?"

James shrugged. "She went off dancing with some guy before I got it. Didn't see her again."

"Maybe she has a boyfriend, James," Shepard said.

"Well, Lola, I can get all that info when I cash in my favor. Went to cash it in last night. Stopped by Kaidan's, you know, mess with him a little, but he was nowhere 'round. Just have to settle for some digits and the rundown."

Shepard paused. "You went to his room last night? After the club?"

"Thought I'd give him a hard time and get her info, you know. Might have had some bourbon helping me along."

"You even sure it's his cousin?" Joker asked.

"Uh, Rebecca Alenko. Come on. Ain't his sister. Gotta be a cousin or some sort of relative, right? It's Vancouver."

Shepard frowned at the ground. "At three A.M., he wasn't in his room?"

James looked sideways at Joker. "Probably about three, I dunno. But, uh, Lola … don't mean he wasn't there. Hell, maybe he just wasn't answering. Knew it was me."

An Alliance officer in ceremonial attire cleared his throat and drew turning heads. He walked three steps onto the raised stone in front of one of the monuments. People drew in tighter. Kaidan strolled alongside Liara as they followed the crowd. Miranda came up behind them and nodded across the crowd at Shepard. Kaidan caught the gesture and turned. He met Shepard's eye. A small smile spread across his face and he nodded at her.

"Doctor Karin Chakwas—" the officer started.

Shepard focused her attention forward. She wasn't here to mingle with friends. She'd be expected to say something. The crowd scooted aside as she took a spot near the front. Another service. Another name on a plaque. It'd never end.

XXX

People mingled around the garden after the service. Javik paced on the lawn just beyond the crowd, hand on his hips, trying to flag Liara. Shepard shook hands with Cortez, Briggs, Jensen, and a whole line of old Alliance friends. Jensen didn't say much with a haunted glint in her eye as they finally moved on. The throng thinned, and Shepard stepped onto the platform running in front of the monuments. She wandered along the lines of plaques to Dr. Chakwas's name. The brass wasn't weathered and shined brighter than the plaques around it. Shepard gave a slanted grin, bent, and touched the corner of it.

"Shepard."

Shepard's head whipped around. "Kaidan. Hey."

She straightened as Kaidan came up the steps.

"How you feeling?"

"Like new. Back to factory settings."

"Your biotics?"

"Did some more tests. Seem to be in working order. Spiked the same. Haven't taken down a horde of husks yet, so not field tested."

"Hard to scrounge up a horde of husks these days. Probably a good thing."

"Spoil sport. But I agree." Shepard folded her arms.

Kaidan's brown eyes watched her. He smiled but something still felt grim or off. He looked more rested, more vibrant though. The flash of metal buttons on his chest caught her eye.

"Your uniform … you're wearing it again."

"Uh, yeah." Kaidan glanced down. "Got a welcome back email saying I could wear it again long as I'm on my best behavior."

"An email?" Shepard's eyebrows drew together.

"No joke. An email. That, and an unofficial pep talk from Admiral Hackett in the hallway."

Shepard frowned. "That just seems …"

"Right?"

"Huh," Shepard said.

"Hey, L2." James ambled up to them then stopped. His eyes bounced between them as if realizing it was only the two of them talking. "Uh, actually, I can just …"

"What's up, James?" Kaidan turned to him.

"Am I interrupting?" James eyed Shepard.

Shepard rolled her lips together, but shook her head emphatically. She rested her back up against the cool stone of the monument.

"No," Kaidan said. "What's up?"

James shifted uncertainly. He looked at Shepard out of the corner of his eye then turned to Kaidan.

"Hey, does a Rebecca Alenko mean anything to you?"

Kaidan eyed James before answering. "Becca … yeah."

"Familia or something?"

"Cousin."

"Cousin? Huh." James shot Shepard a triumphant grin before focusing back on Kaidan. "So, uh, about this favor you owe me …"

Kaidan's face tightened. "Oh, no."

"Oh, yes." James rolled onto the balls of his feet and down. "Give me the rundown and how 'bout some digits?"

"You're serious?"

"Totally. Met last night at the club. Kinda got separated before we exchanged any info."

Kaidan narrowed his eyes. "Just kinda got separated before exchanging any info?"

"You owe me one, L2. Taccus lead me 'round by a leash for a week."

Kaidan's mouth twitched. He ran a hand along his jaw and looked off as the lifted slightly. James crossed his arms and cocked his head.

"Really, L2? Funny? Really?"

Kaidan grinned openly. "Come on. If I have to give you a favor, I get to think it's funny."

"You haven't given me that favor yet."

"True." Kaidan backed up and leaned against the granite next to Shepard. "I don't know, James. Kind of a big favor. Could end up related."

James stared blankly at Kaidan. "L2, like, seriously. We are not talking wedding bells here. You really don't get this whole 'living in the moment' thing."

Kaidan shrugged and tilted his head as if considering. "Okay, James. How about I send her your info? If she's interested, she'll contact you."

"What? You afraid I can't take 'no' for answer or something?"

Kaidan thinned his eyes at James who starred back levelly. Shepard smirked and shifted against the monument as she looked between them.

"Fine," Kaidan said. He brought up wrist, Omni-Tool glowing, and punched something in. "I'm done matchmaking my cousins though. There."

"That a regular gig for you, Kaidan?" Shepard asked.

He glanced at her. "Yeah, well, I'm doing you a favor too, Shepard. Becca's brother is a big fan."

"Really?" Shepard twisted sideways against the stone to face him. "Vega's good enough for the family, but I'm not?"

James's teeth peeked out of a grin as he looked at him Omni-Tool. "Got it."

"We're square?" Kaidan asked.

"Well, assuming it's actually a working number then … yeah."

James smiled backing up and trotted away.

"So …" Shepard said.

Kaidan glanced sideways at her. "Sure, Shepard. I'll set you up next. Just don't forget your credit chip, because he will. Guaranteed."

"I'm not above paying."

"Good, then you're both on the same page. And, at the end of the night, don't be surprised when he's dropping you off, if he doesn't suddenly needs to use the bathroom or his Omni-Tool's acts up. He needs to use your terminal."

"Both legitimate reasons to be let in."

Kaidan looked away and shrugged. "I was wrong. Sounds like you're perfect for each other then."

"James and I could be in-laws."

"Shepard," Kaidan tsked. "Live in the moment."

"Got excited," she grinned at him. "You really sell these matches."

"Uh, yeah." Kaidan turned sideways to face her. "Sell themselves really. But since I set you up, maybe you owe me a favor now?"

"I haven't gotten any contact information yet, Kaidan."

"Thought it would be more fun to give him yours."

Shepard ducked her head with a grin. She turned a serious expression back to him.

"Efficient thinking, Major."

"Satisfaction guarantee."

"That's why I went with you instead of asking James about his cousins."

"I thought maybe you and James were trying to get in on the BOGO sale."

"The Twenty-Four Hour Alenko Cousin Sale?"

"You saw the ads."

Shepard smiled at him. They faced each other shoulders resting against the granite. Three rows of bronze plaques stretched between them. Shepard glanced around the garden. Not many people were left milling around the lawn. Liara and Javik must have already left. A raindrop hit her forehead. She re-settled her shoulder against the stone and met Kaidan's eyes.

"So, what kind of favor did you have in mind?" Shepard asked.

Kaidan's brows pinched as his eyes rolled up to the sky. He held out a palm. Another drop hit Shepard's scalp. Dark flecks speckled lightly across the stone at their feet. Officers Shepard didn't recognize huddled together as they left the garden. Kaidan looked down at her and tucked his hands under his arms.

"Favor … yeah," he said. "I'm hoping you can fill in some blanks."

"Some blanks?"

"Did someone warn you to stay away from the Summit?"

Shepard frowned. "What?"

"An asari? In a bar?"

Shepard tilted her head. "What? How do you know about that? It was nothing."

"You followed her outside. She said something about S. Summit. A different date, time, place. Do you remember what she said?"

Thunder churned overhead, a low, slow rumble. Rain tapped down faster. The stone at their feet was staining into one solid color. Waves roared in the distance beyond the garden cliffs. A gust tinged with ocean spray blew down the row of monuments. It hit her face lifting the hair off her neck.

"We should go in." Kaidan stood away from the monument and twisted to see the ocean cliffs.

Shepard took a step toward Kaidan. Blue glowed across the edges of her vision. Kaidan's head snapped back and his eyes widened as a blue shield expanded out from her hand. It extended behind her and stretched forward. Kaidan looked up as it passed over his head. The rush of wind and rumble of thunder muted as the blue veil surrounded them like a bubble. Rain tapped on the shield above and streamed down the sides. The steady force of rain and wind reverberated up her arm like a spider on its web.

Kaidan gazed around them in the iridescence. The empty garden seemed hazed and distant through the blue veil. Kaidan caught her eye. A grin spread across his face, and he flared blue reaching a hand out beside hers. His fingertips grazed the shield, and it rippled as energy pushed out. The familiar tingle of his biotics twisted and wrapped through hers. It wove in and out like threads through a knitted pattern tinting the shield cobalt. A weight eased in her core, and her breath lightened as his thread tightened and hardened into her shield. Shepard glanced up at the beating rain.

"Not quite weapon fire," Shepard said.

"Start with bullets, and your umbrellas are going to be amazing."

"This is way better than an umbrella, Kaidan."

"Biotic umbrella, but fine, I'm impressed. Good idea."

"That's all I was looking for."

Kaidan shifted on his feet and gazed around them. Each flexion of fingers echoed through the energy field and tingled on her fingertips. Their eyes met, and he looked away.

"Shepard, about that asari …"

"Oh," Shepard said. "What I overheard …"

Kaidan looked off through the shield and nodded. "Right."

"Well." Shepard scrunched her brow in thought for a moment. "She said an earlier day than the Summit is really starts. I think …"

Shepard rolled it over in her mind again. It hadn't been the day right before, that would have been more understandable, but it had been close to the opening day.

"It was two days before," Shepard said, "and at nighttime. I don't remember when, but the evening. Why would you ever think the first day would open in the evening?"

"And where?" Kaidan asked.

Shepard hung her head thinking. "Uh … gray stadium or arena or something like that, I think. It didn't make sense."

"Gray stadium or arena?" Kaidan echoed looking off as his fingers tapped ripples through the shield. "Does that mean anything to you?"

"No," Shepard said then sighed. "What's going on, Kaidan?"

His eyes flicked to hers. "A Terra Firma attack on the Summit. You've heard of it?"

"Some," Shepard said vaguely.

"The major players are gathering before the Summit. There's a rumor they'll meet to give out final orders, coordinate a major strike. That's what I wonder if you overheard."

Shepard studied his face. "Why would you think that? It was random. Drunk talk most likely."

"Diana Allers referred to the meeting as the Spider Summit. You heard 'S. Summit.'"

"It seemed like a stutter."

"What if it wasn't?"

Shepard considered him quietly.

"Tell me what you know," she said.

Kaidan nodded. The wind eased up against the shield and the rain softened. Kaidan told her what he'd found on Terra Firma while in Prague and over the last month. Shepard's frown deepened as she listened. The shield flickered around them.

"What about this Scorpion?"

"I think whoever it is will be at the Summit during the opening ceremony, and if there's nothing to alarm him, he'll make some public spectacle."

"The Scorpion wanted me alive and transferred over? Why?" Shepard asked but Kaidan shrugged and shook his head. "And the Blue Suns as targets - why? And why leave Earth?"

"I don't know."

"The Normandy's fitted with the quarian's flotilla technology, must be why they wanted her." Shepard studied the stone drying at her feet. "And the incendiary devices, the nuke? If they have the Mass Shard and built whatever that weapon was in the blueprints …"

Kaidan stood silently for a moment. "Shepard. There are Alliance ties. Hackett's worried about someone on the inside."

Shepard stared at him. "We need to find that meeting."

"Exactly."

"The Summit's days away."

Kaidan's face set as he looked back at her. He knew. They both knew. The sprinkle was letting up. She could hardly feel it through the shield. The sky was gray and dark but there weren't any flashes. Shepard pulled her hand back from the shield and let it drop. The blue shimmer faded as Kaidan drew back too. The outdoors rushed over them again - the moist air, roar of wind, smell of grass and damp stone, a faint prickle of stray droplets. Like finding a seat after standing all day, the relief of dropping the shield washed over her. She could see it in Kaidan's eyes too. It was nothing like a battle against ballistics, but it was enough of a light sprint to feel the hint of relief in letting it go. The dim light of the sun through the clouds squinted over the ocean's horizon. Kaidan followed her gaze over his shoulder to the ocean.

"Sometimes I come here," he said. "Helps me to think seeing the names. Remember. Watch the ocean."

Shepard's eyes flickered to his profile and studied the curve of his jaw. He turned back to her and let out a long breath.

"Glad you're better, Shepard," he said. "Good to catch up."

Shepard stretched a smile. "Of course."

He touched the side of her arm as he passed. "Take care, Shepard."

Shepard turned. "Kaidan."

He slowed in the grass and turned back to her. Shepard looked over at the monument. Karin Chakwas's name stared back at her.

"Dr. Chakwas – do you think she'd rather have died in the fighting reapers in the war?"

Kaidan regarded her silently for a moment before slowly walking back.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Shepard sighed. "She fought Saren, the Collectors, the Reapers. Came through it all. She got through everything then died here for this."

Kaidan stepped back onto the stone platform beside her. "For nothing you mean?"

Shepard looked over at him and held his eyes. "It's so pointless. Not meaningless, just pointless. In a way." She turned back to the plaque.

Kaidan folded his arms and faced the plaque beside her. "They didn't die in vain, Shepard."

She didn't say anything.

"Shepard," he said. "You, the crew that lived, the crew that died - you stopped Terra Firma from controlling the Normandy. If Terra Firma had the Normandy now … we know the destruction and death they planned."

"If that had been uncovered, dealt with before they struck though. I knew something was wrong, Kaidan. I just couldn't figure out what, not in time."

"And what if you had?" Kaidan shrugged and turned to her. "Yes, Dr. Chakwas would be alive, the rest of the crew, but so far, the biggest break on the Summit attack has come from decoding Anchor's messages. If the Normandy attack was diffused, Anchor and the rest of the infiltrators tossed in the brig, everyone would be focused on preparing for the Summit. Maybe those messages wouldn't have been decoded in time to do anything. We'd just have some vague suspicion that the Summit would make a good target if Terra Firma was looking for one. We wouldn't know anything concrete or even know what to be looking for. I'd be in Tokyo. Anything I've found, I wouldn't have been here to find it. So, yes, they'd be alive," he turned back to the plaque, "but because they're not, maybe many others that were meant to die, won't. Imagine if this attack works, Shepard. Everything we've gained from the war - the potential, the alliances, cooperation, the ability to rebuild - it could be lost. Dr. Chakwas survived the galaxy being destroyed by reapers, but by her sacrifice now, maybe she saves the galaxy from destroying itself."

Chakwas's name shinned back at Shepherd. She looked sideways at Kaidan, but he stared straight ahead at the plaque. He glanced over at her and gave a small smile. Then he backed up and left. Her eyes followed him until he was out of sight. She turned back to the monument. Droplets beading the nameplate. A smile crested her lips remembering the pressure ease in her core as the other threads reinforced into her shield. A tightness she'd been carrying in her chest loosened. She brushed the droplets off the plaque and stood back. For the first time staring at the letters made her feel more pride than guilt.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"That was the past. Let's focus on the future." Shepard stood on the Council floor.

One of the turien ministers glared at her from across the floor. "But the asari—"

"Does it matter?" Shepard snapped gripping the lectern tighter.

"Situations like this always matter," Ilk said from the Council table.

The crowd in the Council Chamber stirred. Usually about the time a councilor chimed in, the debate was winding down enough to be tabled and a new topic introduced. These pre-Summit talks to orient the upcoming discussions could drag. Everyone in the chamber seemed ready to adjourn for the evening. The dark windows around the hall flickered with lightening.

"Councilor." Shepard raised her voice turning to Ilk. "Concealing the prothean beacon in the past put the asari ahead, true. That's recognized. It was a betrayal." Tevos squirmed in her chair. Shepard looked out over the rows of faces in the audience. "But councilors, leaders, it doesn't matter going forward, and that's the only direction that counts."

"What else has been concealed from us?" Ilk frowned. "Their betrayal has implications for future behavior."

"The asari stood with us," Shepard said. "We couldn't have gotten here without them. Same with the salarians, the turiens, the krogan, the elcor, the hanar, everyone. What the asari did was wrong, but it was a decision made long ago and perpetuated by a minority. Most of the asari were as surprised as the rest of us. They probably felt more betrayed than we did. This is a fresh start. We've all earned a new beginning. Forgive and move forward, because the next time, maybe it's your people that needs the hand up."

The turien minister across the floor shook his head and stormed down from the stage. "A future without consequences for the past is a dangerous one!"

"Minister Factus is right," Sparatus said. "There must be consequences or anything's allowable. That will destroy cooperation as much as over-focusing on past wrongs."

"Losing Thessia, millions of lives, being stranded all over the galaxy - those aren't consequences enough?" Shepard asked.

"That happened to all of us," Sparatus said.

"We've all suffered," Shepard agreed. "The asari along with us, despite all the advantages their secret gave them. Does their suffering need to be worse than ours to restore the balance? We've suffered enough for every species. In the future, there will be wrongs and there will be consequences. But for now? What's done is done. We've bleed and died, suffered and lost together. Let's move forward and start over."

Sparatus sat back in his chair and folded his arms. Mason and Tevos leaned their heads together whispering while Ilk drummed his fingers on the desk and looked over the crowd. The audience waited in silence. There wasn't an open chair in the auditorium. A line of people stood against the wall and down the aisles. Finally, Mason stood up.

"We're adjourning for the night. We will resume tomorrow morning. The Council will discuss the upcoming Summit topics concerning the krogan."

The room erupted in harsh voices. The other three councilors pushed up from their chairs. Ilk glanced back marble-eyed as a yelling crowd surged to the banisters. C-sec officers fanned out along the bottom of the stage. A rabid group of turiens screamed at Shepard from the front row. One even threw something at her. As it rolled on the stage floor, she could see it was a pen. Reporters waved over the heads of the C-sec officers and yelled questions about Tuchanka and the genophage.

"Shepard," Mason called waving her to the stage's back door.

Shepard hurried to him amid the roar of angry voices.

"Damn," Shepard muttered passing by Mason into the back room. "You hadn't released that until now?"

"As you can see, there's a reason, we weren't eager to announce it," Tevos said.

This private hall off the Council Chamber was empty except for them. Ilk strode to one of the exits and left without a preamble. Mason's hand patted Shepard's back as he passed around her.

"Spectre Shepard," Tevos said watching the other councilors stepping. She came closer. "I applaud your moderate stand on the prothean matter. I want you to know, I fully intend to support your position with the krogan."

Shepard frowned. "That's not why I did it, Councilor. I'm not pandering to raise support on anything."

"Of course," Tevos inclined her head with a smile. "I wasn't implying that."

Sparatus waved his datapad and yelled from across the room. "It's already all over the extranet!"

"We knew it would be," Tevos sighed and moved over to him.

Shepard left through the same exit Ilk had taken. It spilled her out into a hallway down from the Council Chamber and the roaring chaos. In the distance, the Council Chamber's entrance crowded with cameras and reporters churning to get a view inside. Shepard spun on her heels and started the other direction. The click of cameras and roar of press behind her made her feet slowed, and she stopped. Her mind ran through possibilities. She turned back and charged down the hall to the chamber entrance boiling with reporters. A few heads looked over and fingers stared to point as the sea of faces turned toward her. They shoved over each other. Cameras flashed, bobbing and bouncing off each other as the reporters surged around her.

"Commander Shepard, how is your health?"

"Did you mean what you said in there about the asari?"

"Did Urdnot Wrex threaten the Council into supporting his cause?"

"What is your relationship with the asari councilor?"

A familiar voice purred behind her. "An exclusive, Commander?"

Shepard whipped around. Diana Allers held out her microphone out in a wavering grip as people shoved against her. Shepard snatched the microphone from her. The inner layer of reporters pushed back glancing back at their cameras to assure a good angle. The questions hushed as they waited. Shepard fixed her eyes on Diana.

"I will give an exclusive to Diana Allers, Battlespace News. Other questions later."

Groans and dirty looks rolled through the crowd. Glares turned on Diana as she pushed forward with a beaming grin. She shoved back a row of reporters loitering with absently held microphones aimed Shepard's direction.

"This way, Commander."

Diana ushered her down the hall beyond the frowns and narrowed eyes. Diana found a nook down the hall, a spot by the window with a couch in the corner. She glanced behind them before shimming straight her tight dress and hailing her camera as it came around the corner.

"So good to see you again, Commander." She smiled coyly.

"How have you been, Allers?"

"Excellent." She smoothed her hair. "This is a surprise. I'm glad you remember how beneficial our talks on the Normandy always were. You made the right choice. Exclusives are the best way to go. Less pressure, more elegant."

"Right." Shepard smiled.

"All right." Diana glanced around again. "Maybe we could go to your room. Less chance of being interrupted there."

"How about we do some questions here." Shepard handed Diana her microphone back and readied herself. "I don't have much time but if you think over questions for the future, we'll see what we can do about a longer exclusive later."

Allers grinned slyly. "Absolutely, Commander."

She held up the microphone and pivoted to the camera. Shepard tapped her shoulder.

"Allers, before we begin …"

"I thought you said we don't have much time." Diana frowned back at her.

"We have enough," Shepard reassured. "I want to ask you something."

"Oh?"

"You have your ear to the ground. You ever hear of the Gray Arena?"

Diana twisted her lips as if thinking but shook her head. "No."

"The Gray Stadium?"

"No. Why?"

Shepard sighed with a frown. It had been worth a shot at least.

"Why are you asking?" Diana repeated.

Maybe there was still information Shepard could use.

"Major Alenko told me you may have contacts with Terra Firma," Shepard said.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about," Diana said. "I might have heard some things, but I don't have contacts."

"Sources then?"

"I've had a few interviews, taken notes here and there. I'm not an investigational journalist. That's not my story."

"Is there anything you can give me? Any footage, notes? Whatever you have on Terra Firma, anything remotely connected."

Diana gave her a flat stare. "I see."

"See what?"

The microphone pressed against Diana's chest dropped to her side with a sigh. "You're not really interested in an exclusive, are you?"

"I said I would give you an exclusive. I mean it."

"And the second interview?"

"I meant that too."

Diana's slit eyes relaxed as Shepard tugged down on her uniform and looked straight at the camera.

"And you don't require anything?" Diana asked. "You're giving me this interview without something back?"

"Yes," Shepard said. "I'd like it if you had something for me, but I'm ready for the interview. Feed it live if you want. Whatever. I'll give you ten minutes."

A smile broke across Diana's face. "Shepard, I knew I liked you. Now, anything off limits?"

"Let's stick to business."

"Of course," Diana smiled flicking her hair as she turned to the camera. "Your health? The injury?"

"That's fine."

"Here we go then." Diana glanced back at Shepard who gave her a nod. "Three, two, one. This is Diana Allers for Battlespace News."

XXX

Shepard paced around her room like a cage. The screen on her desk flashed with vids from Diana Allers's interviews over the last year, anything related to Terra Firma. Diana had been right. There wasn't much there. Shepard let it play in the background, the sound turned down but audible. Just because she was awake in the middle of the night didn't mean her neighbors needed to be.

She checked her refrigerator again, but it was still the same one option that had been there ten minutes ago. She'd eaten everything else. Everything else but the eggs. Lots of eggs. Damn grocery delivery service. She slammed the refrigerator door shut. Their order form needed to be more explicit. And anyone in their right mind filling an order for 'twelve' eggs should have questioned it, if it was mean to be sold by the dozen. Ridiculous.

On the screen, Diana Allers slinked around a Vancouver bar interviewing witnesses to some anti-alien brawl. It was rough footage, the unedited takes that ran on and on. Editors must have a tedious job dragging themselves through this sludge and picking out the nuggets worth showing. The camera rolled as Diana touched up her lipstick in a mirror hanging over the bar. She tugged down her neckline and boosted her assets while smirking back at her reflection. Her hair whipped through the hair as she twisted on her heels to the first patron at the bar. She leaned forward spilling herself over the bar as her arms squeezed her chest. She purred a question to the bartender. The man's words came out jumbled as his eyes strayed then flitting back up with a wary grin. The smile only broadened as she leaned further over with the next question.

Shepard rolled her eyes and flopped onto the couch. She pressed her head back into the cushion and looked out the window. She did have one hell of a large window. Diana's chattered to the camera about the turien military officers that had ran into trouble at the bar the night before. Shepard vaguely remembered it from months ago. Five dead when one of the female turiens decided to chat up a human patron, one of the dockworkers. The flirting hadn't gone over well with the humans in the corner watching. So stupid. Wasteful.

Shepard checked the time. Her Omni-Tool glowed in her face before she snapped it off. She twisting off the couch and got back onto her feet. Almost three in the morning. She crossed her arms and tapped her elbows with twitchy fingers. She'd admit it to herself - she wondered. There was nothing wrong that. She just wanting to know.

The desk chair teetered as she barreled over to her bed and threw herself down. She stared up at the ceiling. Three o'clock and it's all she could think about. Damn James for saying anything at all.

Shepard sat up on her elbows suddenly. She could call him. He'd answer. He always answered for her. He'd sit up on the screen wiping sleepiness out of his eyes, and she'd squinted behind him at the background listening for clue. Calling him in the middle of the night needed a reason though. Saying it was an accident seemed puny. In the end, it didn't matter anyway. Let him do whatever damned thing he wanted.

Shepard's ear caught on something from the footage, and she froze repeating it in her head. She leaped out of bed and rushed to the terminal. The camera's view bobbed as Diana Allers reached up and turned it off. Shepard rewound it and played it again. A smile stretched across her lips. Bingo.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Kaidan bolted upright in bed with a jolt. A datapad clattering to the floor off his chest. Kaidan snatched his Omni-Tool from the nightstand. A second datapad clapped to the floor as he swung his feet off the bed checking the time. Three o'clock. His face scrunched. He grabbed a pair of pants off the floor and hoped his way to the front door pulling them on. Hallway light burst through the door blinding him as it slid open. He squinted to find what he was looking for - the damn person waking him up at 3 A.M. The damn person was … Shepard.

Her eyes lit up. A smile lifted and strained into her cheeks as she looked him over. He glanced down the hall - empty and quiet – and turned back to her. He frowned.

"Is this payback?"

Shepard shrugged still grinning. "Maybe. Can I come in?"

Kaidan stepped back and put out an open palm. She brushed past him with a grin and squinted into the dark. The doors slid shut cutting the room into darkness as he moved around her. The table lamp clicked on illuminating the small sitting area. He turned back to her.

"What's going on, Shepard? You okay?" He studied her.

Her eyes moved around the room as she came in further. He followed her roving gaze before facing her with a frown. Her eyes finally met his and a small smile curling up the corners of his lips.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I found something."

"Found something? At three in the morning?"

"Come here," she said.

Kaidan's heels stuck to the floor, but he forced himself forward. She brought up a vid on her Omni-Tool and scrolled through the opening. He stood stiffly beside her. The clean scent of vanilla tinted the air in each breath, and he shuffled back a step.

"Can you see?" She twisted to look at him and raised her Omni-Tool higher.

He gave her a sharp nod, and she turned back to the holoscreen. She pressed 'play.' The background looked like a pub.

"This is the Lunar Eclipse," Shepard said.

"Where the turiens were—"

"Listen." Shepard held up a finger.

An empty bar table filled the screen as the footage rolled. Nothing was happening. A distant voice muttered something about having nowhere to clip her microphone.

"Is that Allers?"

"Kaidan." Shepard frowned.

She turned up the volume and cocked her head listening. Kaidan edged closer concentrating to hear. Two male voices talked. They were far off, probably down the bar.

"They're back there. Left after," one voice said.

"Back then? No one followed?"

"Yeah, back in the gray. Once it's clear, we'll head over too. Meet 'um on the ground floor of the gray hospital."

Shepard paused it and turned to him. She seemed expectant, eyes eagerly searching his face.

"Gray hospital?" Kaidan asked. "I don't know …"

"Back to the gray," Shepard repeated and pulled up another screen on her Omni-Tool.

It was an article this time. It was from a year ago. Kaidan looked away from her and peered at it skimming over the contents. A Terra Firma cell uncovered in Vancouver. It was back when they sabotaged spacecrafts. A high-sting operation routed them out of their base of operations. Kaidan only vaguely remembered hearing about it. He still hadn't gotten back to Earth yet. Terra Firma and terrorism had been the last thing on his mind. Shepard held her arm closer for him, but he'd finished reading it. He stepped back.

"Well … the gray?" Shepard smiled at him. "The cell they found called themselves the Gray Sect. Found in that renovation zone right next to the rebuilt part of Vancouver. That's the gray – the bright, rebuilt part of Vancouver mixing with the black, destroyed part. That's where they're hiding."

Kaidan folded his arms and drew his eyebrows together in thought. Shepard snapped off her Omni-Tool.

"Rebuilding is happening all the time," Shepard said. "That strip has shifted, but there was a hospital in the in-between area at the time of the Lunar murders." Shepard walked around one of the cushioned sitting chairs and ran a hand along the top. "There's a big theater in the zone now. Used to have symphonies and plays."

"I remember."

"It's not exactly a stadium or an arena, but that's the closest I could pin point. Maybe I heard auditorium."

Kaidan nodded slowly and a smile spread across his face. "You found something."

"Let's go check it out."

"What?" Kaidan's eyebrows rose. "Right now?"

"Put on a shirt. Let's go."

Kaidan stared back at her. She put her hands on her hips and stared back.

"Well …" He gave a soft snort then smiled. "Fine."

He went to his dressed and tugged out a shirt. Shepard came up beside him.

"Shoes too."

"I know how to dress myself, Shepard. It's not a new skill."

Shepard smiled and leaned an elbow against the dresser. He snatched out some socks as she surveyed the room again.

"Kind of spartan isn't it, Kaidan?"

Kaidan glanced around the room before pulling the shirt over his head. "If I'd know you were coming, I would have pulled out the area rugs and decorative vases."

"Actually, you need an area rug, Kaidan. Don't your feet get cold walking around like that?"

"What?" Kaidan glanced down at his bare feet then grabbed his boots. "Not too many area rugs on a space ship. I'm used to it."

"Hmm." Shepard shrugged. "I guess that can be my housewarming gift for you then."

"Still waiting on the coasters?" Kaidan crossed over to one of the sitting room chairs.

"Haven't been able to set down a cold drink since you pointed it out." Shepard strolled over. "Every package in the mail, I think, 'Surely these are my coasters from Kaidan.' Never is. Just some bootlaces or an Omni-Tool hardware upgrade I'd forgotten I ordered."

Kaidan pulled on a sock. "I don't know. If I got an Omni-Tool upgrade I forgot I ordered, I'd be pretty happy."

"But imagine all those months holding cold drinks in your hand, staring at your table wistfully. If only you could … but you can't." Shepard flopped down in a heap in the chair next to him.

"You're, uh … pretty chipper for three o'clock in the morning, Shepard. You even sleep?"

"Too excited about my Allers footage."

"It's a good find."

"Worth a three o'clock wakeup call?" Shepard rested her chin on her fist and watched him.

He pulled on the other sock. "Uh, sure."

"Of note," Shepard said. "Your visiting hours aren't posted either."

"I actually went with a 'NO TRESSPASSING' sign. Must have fallen down."

"Didn't know that was one of the options."

"Never limit yourself when it comes to signage, Shepard."

"Think a 'BEWARE OF HAMSTER' sign would run people off?"

"Probably draw crowd."

Shepard pressed her lips together as if in thought. "Could be an opportunity to earn some credits."

Shepard's teeth showed through her lips as they drew back, and she rested her chin on a fist. He should probably just stick to the reason she was here. He still felt raw from their talk in the garden, but that glint in her eye and smile … He grinned back at her and picked up a boot.

"To do it right, you'll need a big tent and a top hat," he said.

"Couldn't sell me on the dictation gig, so now it's the circus?"

"I'd even help you pick out the font for your business cards."

"Uh huh," Shepard said. "Ringmaster Shepard?"

"Does have a ring to it."

Shepard rolled her eyes with a snort and shook her head. "Lame, Kaidan."

"What? It's three in the morning, what do you expect?" he asked. "And just so you know, my refrigerator doesn't have any produce."

"Hope your steaks aren't boned then."

"Threatening to throw steak at me? You do belong in the circus."

Shepard chuckled and sat back in her chair. Kaidan put on his second boot. He glanced up, and she was watching him with a soft grin. She nodded down at his boot.

"Kind of slow at this for not being a new skill," Shepard said.

"Too distracted talking."

"A good host, Kaidan, multitasks."

"This really _is_ payback, isn't it? For the record, I'm a great host. I turned on the lamp for you, didn't I? We could be talking in the dark right now."

Shepard tipped her head back and looked at the slit window overhead

"Guess I'll agree," Shepard said. "Window like that? With the lights out, wouldn't even have the night sky to look at."

"Oh?" Kaidan laced up his last boot. "This 'Big Window' elitisms again, Shepard?"

"From the guy who spent all his time on the Normandy's observation deck staring out a big window."

"That's not where I spent _all_ my time." He met her eye with a smile, tied the last loop, and stood up. "Let's go, Commander."

Shepard stood. "Everything in order, Major?"

"Shirt, shoes … ready for service, ma'am."

Shepard grinned and moved around him to the door. Kaidan followed on her heels. She paused at the door. He opened the door and popped his head out looking both directions.

"All clear."

She rushed past him into the hall. "Let's move out."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Kaidan rested in the skycar's seat next to Shepard. She shifted to look at him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Kaidan glanced up from the glowing screen on his Omni-Tool. "Expense report."

Shepard's lips slanted, and she lifted an eyebrow. "Seriously, Kaidan?"

"Seriously, Shepard."

She clicked her tongue. "Three thirty in the morning, and you're reviewing Spectre expense reports? You work too much."

Kaidan sputtered a laugh. "I work too much? You're the one working Terra Firma leads at three A.M. I was sleep, remember?"

"Are you trying to get back to sleeping by reading that?"

"I wouldn't dare sleep. Wake up with a Scarpie mustache and my Omni-Tool translator set to Mandarin or something."

"Uh, well, I didn't bring a sharpie, and if changing your Omni-Tool to Mandarin is the worst I can do, I think you'll come out all right."

"It's the worst I can think of, doesn't mean it's the worst you can think of. That's what really matters."

Shepard rolled her eyes. "If I wanted to Sharpie facial hair on you, Kaidan, I've had plenty of opportunity."

"I suppose." He turned back to his Omni-Tool.

Shepard sighed. "Back to the expense report. Kaidan, the shortage of husks and Cerberus troopers has really dropped your standard of fun."

"And, aside from heckling me, are you having fun?"

"Sure. It's three o'clock in the morning, we're on our way to find the secret lair of the terrorist underground. Beats expense reports every time."

"I'm on my way there too, if you noticed. I'm just multitasking, which you reproved me of earlier."

Shepard rested the side of her face against the headrest and eyed him. "That what you went to the Spectre offices for? Download expense reports? Lost us ten minutes."

"I never said they were Spectre expense reports. Here." He punched some keys on his screen and turned to her. He looked pointedly at her Omni-Tool. "Check it out."

Shepard flicked up her Omni-Tool. "What am I looking at?" Then added quickly," Other than 'expense reports.' You were going to say that, weren't you?"

"Crossed my mind."

She scrolled through the invoice on her screen. Kaidan craned his neck to look out the window at the lights below. They'd chosen a bar with a skycar stop point on the outskirts of the restored part of the city. The theater was close enough to walk from there. No armor, low profile.

"Okay." Shepard turned to him. "Construction material. Eezo related. I'm assuming the purchasers are significant? Terra Firma?"

"Right."

Shepard looked back at the report and fingered through it. "These reports go over months. They're building something. What?"

"Something with eezo. Something with blue quartz and marble. So, something expensive."

"Something for the Summit?"

"It would make sense."

Shepard nodded and seemed to consider it. The skycar slowed and lowered onto a landing pad outside the bar, a glitzy high traffic location. The doors opened, and they hopped out. A greased haired man in a velvet dinner jacket hunched over a waste can. He wiped his mouth and wobbled as he straightened up right. His droopy eyes widened on Shepard. He stumbled forward pointing. Some patrons by the bar door looked over at them.

"You're, uh … you're, uh …"

Shepard dodged around him. He lurched after her. The man's boozy breath struck Kaidan in the face as he snagged the man's arm. Kaidan twisted the man around and gave him a good shove the other direction. He caught up with Shepard. They turned short of the bar's entrance and cut into the dark streetways. A few cars were out but not in this section. Shepard brought a map up on her Omni-Tool and dimmed the light. Shadows of cave-in apartment buildings and broken storefronts loomed over them as they moved toward the theater.

"You're quite the celebrity," Kaidan murmured to her.

Shepard gave a long sigh. "Yeah, I know." She paused and looked down an intersection. She motioned her head to the left. They turned down the street. "Think I should change my hair or something?"

"Don't change anything."

They slipped along the shattered windows and dilapidated walls. This theater was further than it looked on the map. They weren't meeting anyone though. The streets rolled out around them empty and silent.

"What're you hoping to find, Shepard?" Kaidan whispered as they turned around another street corner.

"Not sure." They paused at another intersection, listened, then slunk around the corner. "Think there'll be a welcome sign and table of nametags?"

"If what you overhead is right, it's still three days away."

"So, no pre-conference workshops?"

"Couldn't say," Kaidan said looping along beside her. "I didn't make their mailing list."

"Me neither. Probably just lost in the mail."

"Shepard, you're getting packages you don't even remembering ordering. Your knowing what you should be coming in the mail seems iffy."

"So, you're saying they didn't even send one to me?"

Kaidan grinned at her. "So, entitled now you're a celebrity."

"Excluding people is just asking for someone to crash your party."

The theater's shadow rose overhead. A few lights flickered in the distance around it. Generator lights maybe. They slowed and shuffled along hugging the wall.

"You hear voices?" Shepard asked as they neared the theater.

Kaidan listened then nodded. They sneaked up to the corner. Shepard peeked around it. Kaidan pressed up against the wall next to her. A weak, yellow light crossed her before she pulled her head back.

"I think there really are pre-conference workshops," she whispered.

"How many people?"

Shepard peeked around again, then turned back to him. "Maybe a dozen outside. Not sure how many overall. They're going in and out the front entrance."

"You think they're meeting now?"

"No." Shepard shook her head. "Just early arrivals, I think. Too disorganized. Just milling around. Barrell fire. Some electric lights. They're in some of the surrounding building around too."

"Electrical is being restored in this section," Kaidan said. A prickle crept across his skin and then fell away. Kaidan frowned and looked around until his eyes stopped on something. "The underground tram station over there," Kaidan pointed with his head, "I think the rail's live."

Shepard followed his gaze and squinted. "No reason for it to be functioning in this part of the city. What makes you think it's live?"

"I feel something. Don't you?"

Shepard concentrated for a moment staring at the ground. The mass field was faint, but Kaidan could still feel it. He'd probably feel it stronger if a train actually passed. The field under the train mixing with the rail's field always made his skin tingle when he stood over a passing train. Green energy, sure, but mass fields for the subway? Kaidan still thought it was insane. Too dangerous. One misstep by the rails, let alone the train going by, and poof. Wouldn't even need to clean up the body. Didn't have any rats in the tunnels anymore though.

"Maybe," Shepard said vaguely. "Why use the train system?"

"Transport people, equipment, who knows."

"That big tower over there," Shepard said. "That was the main office hub, or was, for the transportation department. Rail system runs through the underground level. Saw it on the map. It's all lit. Those top floors."

"They're using this whole area," Kaidan breathed. "The theater, that train station, the tower, maybe these other buildings too."

"Let's check out this theater," Shepard said. "If this is the meeting location, we need to get a sense of it."

Kaidan nodded shifting against the wall. He looked past Shepard to the opposite side of the street and waited. Thin light slid across Shepard's forehead and eyes as she peeked around the corner and watched.

"Okay … go." She waved at him.

He shot across the gap to the other side of the street. He skid to a stop and pulled back up against the wall. A brief glimpse of barrel fire and huddled forms burned in his mind. Shepard watched for another moment, then darted across. Kaidan stumbled back as she tumbled up against him. She looked around the edge of the building. No hollering or running footsteps.

They scurried along the building fronts keeping a street back. They worked their way around the theater looming overhead. The theater seemed in fair condition in contrast to the skeletal, half-burned convenience stores along the street.

The street came out into the theater's parking garage. A level overhead probably had landing pads. It made the bottom story of the parking garage almost completely dark. Kaidan and Shepard slunk through the broken cement blocks and gravel. Kaidan stepped lightly listening. No people or bond fires on this side of the theater.

"Maybe not such a big party after all," Shepard murmured.

"Not yet," Kaidan said. "We don't know how many are inside."

"Just a few groups here I think. For now. Let's look for a way in."

They stayed low to the ground crossing the garage. Shepard reached the theater first. Asphalt scrapped under Kaidan's boots, almost there, when he heard it. Shepard's head whipped to the side.

"Dogs," Shepard said.

"Damnit."

Scrambling feet and shrill barking echoed down the theater's wall. In the distance, the dim light from the theater entrance around the corner moved with shadows. Small lights bobbed around the corner following the dogs. Kaidan clutched his pistol. Shepard grabbed his arm.

"Don't. It'll give us away," she said and pulled him with her.

The sprinted into the parking garage. Barking and harsh voices boomed behind them. Shepard cut sideways deeper into the parking garage. Kaidan stared at the clear path to the crumbling store fronts then turned and dashed after her. A cement wall stood in the far corner of the garage. The open doorway bobbed in his vision with each footfall. It was a stairwell. They tumbled through the doorway. A flight of broken stairs circled up the wall. Stairs hung overhead with jagged edge of crumbling cement. The stairs on their level had been destroyed – mounds of rubble at the base of the wall. Barking pitched higher, nearing.

They scrambled to the far wall. A blue ripple rose off Kaidan's skin. They should be deep enough in the stairwell to not have the glow give them away. At least, he hoped. He squinted at the cragged end of the staircase. A blue corona glowed across Shepard's skin as he turned to her. He jerked his head up at the edge of the broken stairs and laced his hands together. Shepard didn't hesitate. She surged forward spraying cement chips and vaulted off his palms. Blue flared over them boosting her up. She snagged the edge of the stairs with a grunt, then pulled herself up. Bits of concrete crumbled down on him. The glowing veil faded away in the darkness between them.

He backed up. Shepard rolled onto her belly and strained over the edge reaching for him. Dogs burst through the doorway. Kaidan threw out a hand. A blue shield knocked them backward. He sprinted forward and leapt. Biotics flared as their fingers touched. She curled her digits into his, and energy burned around them – binding, pulling, lifting. She grabbed his wrist in the rother hand and heaved backward with gritted teeth. Dogs snapped at his feet as he snared the ledge. Their light flickered out. Voices yelled distinct sentences now.

Dogs howled, leaping up and gnashing at them. Flashlights brightened the stairwell as footsteps pounded closer. Kaidan pulled himself the rest of the way up. He stumbled to his feet as the room filled with white light and voices. Shepard put an arm out across his chest and edged them further back as light turned looking up the stairwell.

"What the hell is going on?" It sounded like someone just coming into the stairwell.

"It's not a racoon this time," a voice said. "I saw lights."

Voices overlapped. It sounded like maybe six people. The dogs whined and barked. There was a walloping sound and one shrieked. A man cursed at the dog.

"Pretty worked up. They really think something's up there. Better check it out."

"Get the shuttle. Bringing some of the dogs. Hurry up!"

Shepard pushed them back further from the edge. A large landing pad spread across the top story of the parking garage. The pad connected to the theater where wide recessed doors had probably been a main entrance at one time. Opposite the theater, broken building a few stories high stood just beyond the landing pad. If they could leap that far, they'd need to lower themselves back to the ground level and then over. Shepard's hand gripped his arm, and she tilted her head at the theater entrance. He frowned and shook his head, but she pushed off his arm and sprinted away. Kaidan clenched his jaw and rushed after her. She slid to her knees in the recessed doorway and pulled apart a panel by the doors. Metal welding beaded the crack between the theater doors.

"Shepard." He whispered and touched her shoulder. "Let's go."

She frowned up at him and leaned further into the panel with her Omni-Tool light on. Kaidan hunched over her to block the light from the landing pad.

"The doors are welded. Shepard …"

"Kaidan." She shot him a hard look and put a finger to her lips.

She twisted back to the electrical control panel and reached deep inside. Her skin lit blue, and Kaidan scrambled to block the light. He huddled over her and held up a weak light on his Omni-Tool. She was pulling out wires. No rhyme or reason that he could tell. He cast a look over his shoulder at the landing pad and listened. His brow pinched.

"A shuttle's coming," he whispered.

Shepard scooted back and stomped her boot deep into the panel. Kaidan's eyes widened, and he dropping to his knees to look in the panel. It sparked with torn wiring as her glowing foot smashed into the back panel. The thin metal dented in the middle as she pulled back and slammed into it again. It broke through.

A shuttle hummed louder. Dogs barked. The blue energy winked out as Shepard twisted around and pulled her boot out. Kaidan tore out his pistol and snapped his attention to the landing pad. The shuttle buzzed softly as it lowered onto the pad. He started to his feet, but Shepard snagged his arm.

"Get in."

"What?"

Shepard's eyes moved from his to the open panel. He dropped back to his knees and peered through the panel. It sparked with torn wires. It was barely wider than his shoulders.

"You can make it." Shepard leaned down to his face.

He gaped at her. "Are you kidding? Those wires are still live, Shepard."

"Just put up your barrier. I'll block the light."

The shuttle exhausted and settled onto the landing pad. Kaidan folded his pistol back up and jammed it in his belt.

"Go." Shepard gave him a small push and moved around to block the panel from the landing pad.

Kaidan slipped to the floor on his back. A barrier flared over his skin. Wires sparked in front of his face. Hell. He reached in gingerly.

"Come on, Kaidan," Shepard hissed looking over her shoulder.

The shuttle thudded onto the cement and quieted. Kaidan gritted his teeth and reached through the wires, buzzing and sparking against him. He hooked onto either side of the where the inner panel had been pushed out. He pulled up pushing with his feet. The barrier flared, smoothing and insulated against the popping wires and tight friction. The shuttle door activated.

He pulled his head through the opening into a tight, dark metal space. He clawed out still kicking to angel his shoulders through. Cobwebs layered his face as he strained, barrier flaring and slipping like silk between his skin and the metal. He twisted to the side and pulled the rest of his body through.

Shepard's hands, fingers splayed, reached in behind his boots. He grabbed them letting his barrier run down her arm. He extended it as far down her body as he dared before it lit up the whole doorway on the other side. She shimmied out, catching for a moment with a gasp before pulling her feet through. Dogs lunged against the metal opening, clawing and spraying spittle through the passage. Shepard flared blue and reached out. A dog yelped against a metallic snap. Blue light flashed through the muted passageway. Kaidan squeezed in to look through the panel. Blue faded off the outer panel fitted back onto the outer wall. Shepard must have pulled it back biotically. It had been fast. Hopefully, the dogs had shielded the flare.

Still glowing blue, Shepard twisted wires back together, moving and rearranging them. There wasn't much room, but Kaidan reached in and realigned the wires. A wire snapped making his teeth clench, but it was a weak shock. The theater probably ran on generators. The dogs beat against the outer panel. It budged in the middle but stayed in place.

"Good enough."

Shepard drew back and fumbled for the panel she'd kicked in. She pulled it out from her knee and fit it against the metal wall. Kaidan held the corners and she smashed a fist into the center and then tapped it a few more time to keep it in place. She pulled back, and he cautiously let go. Shepard punched at it, but it stayed. The howling and muffled voices were almost inaudible.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Kaidan pulled cobwebs off his face as Shepard light flashed on. They were in some sort of narrow metal airduct. Her light illuminated the wide shaft overhead running up to a vent in the roof. Kaidan turned on his own light and lit the duct in front of them as it tapped into a dark tunnel. Slits of light filtered through spaced vents down the tunnel. Shepard smirked at Kaidan with an eyebrow lift then dropped to her hands and knees. She scuttled forward into the duct tunnel. Kaidan dropped down behind her. The vent panels looked out on poorly lit hallways of what was probably the auditorium's balcony. Kaidan moved his head looking through the vent slots and shined his Omni-Tool light on the floor. Footprints crossed back and forth in the dust.

"The auditorium's ahead," Shepard murmured and crawled forward.

Kaidan followed. The duct slipped wetly under Kaidan's hand. He raised his palm in the light of his Omni-Tool.

"Shepard, you bleeding?"

"Huh?" She looked back. "Am I?"

Kaidan reached forward and grabbed her ankles. The leather of her boot slicked his fingertips. He leaned in with his Omni-Tool light and raised the hem of her pants. He pulled down a soppy red sock.

"Shepard …" He said looking up at her. "You didn't know you got bitten?"

"I did?" she said. She strained to lift her ankle up but her knee caught against the wall. "I felt something. Just didn't think … well, it's fine. Let's go."

Shepard dropped her leg back down and crawled forward. Kaidan grabbed at her ankle.

"Don't you want to bandage it or something?"

"No, it's fine," she whispered back at him. "Keep your voice down. It carries."

"I know," he whispered back.

Shepard shuttled forward. The metal vent popped beneath them as Kaidan slid along behind her. The stripped light through the vents illuminated the grimy, red smears in front of him. Kaidan tried to say something again, but his voice muffled under the bending and popping duct. Shepard continued forward. Kaidan's mouth twisted. He grabbed her ankle again and stopped her. Her Omni-Tool light flashed over her shoulder. He held a hand up to shield his face.

"Shepard, it's filthy in here. You're getting blood everywhere. There isn't a time crunch. Let's bandage it up. It's a dog bite."

"I'm not worried. Let's go." She looked forward, then paused and added. "I'll pay for your dry-cleaning if I get blood on you, 'kay?"

"No, not 'kay.' You think I care about getting blood on me? Come on, Shepard. Do what you want though. It's your ankle."

Shepard didn't say anything and shuffled ahead. Kaidan rubbed his bloody hand across his chest then continued after her. The vents grew larger and the light brightened. Like Shepard said, the vent ran along the top of the auditorium.

Shadows lined Shepard's face as she looked down through a vent screen. Kaidan crawled back a step and ducked his head to see through another vent. Rows of theater chairs expanded out from a broad wooden stage. The second story had balcony seating and a few single boxes.

There were people, all human. Some slept in chairs or on the floor in sleeping bags. Two men and a woman stood on the stage arguing. The light caught the white of Shepard's eye as she turned to look at him and tilted her head toward the stage. The moved forward pausing at each pop in the metal duct. They came alongside the stage and stopped. The faint voices rose and fell with the speaker. Kaidan strained to hear.

"Not coming himself!" a bearded man said gesturing.

Kaidan angled to see their faces through the vent. He didn't recognize any of them.

"None of them?" the man continued. "How can we make any decisions?"

The woman cut him off with a chopping motion. "We know the plan. We just need the specifics. The other team leaders will be here and the leadership's representatives. We don't need the heads. We just need marching orders."

The third person, an older man, nodded. "We just need the zones. The targets."

The bearded man shook his head. "I can't believe we're okay with this. They hide-"

"They've always hidden," the woman said. "The Scorpion needs secrecy. The head members need it too. They're important. Could be recognized. There are too many people at this meet. Wait until the Council's Summit. We'll see the Scorpion."

Kaidan looked over at Shepard, but her eyes were fixed looking through the slotted screen. A young man came up a side aisle to the stage. He was only sixteen or seventeen. Kaidan's jaw set. The boy rushed up to them. Kaidan recognized his voice from outside.

"Couldn't find anything. Dogs definitely had something though."

The woman crossed her arms. "Should we …"

"No," the older man said. "Keep looking. Maybe increase the watch. Station sentries down the road. This involves too many members. We're bound to get onlookers."

"Probably be some in the crowd." The bearded man waved out at the chairs.

The woman sighed. Kaidan concentrated to hear her.

"The sensitive information will be in the private meeting. The stage is just for show. Morale."

The boy looked between them. "You want to come look?"

"It's getting close to morning," the older man said. "That should help."

"I'll go check with you," the woman said to the boy.

The bearded man lingered for a moment then stormed down an aisle. The others dispersed. Some of the people in the sleeping bags stirred. Shepard looked at Kaidan and tilted her head forward.

"Let's see how far this vent goes," she whispered. "See if we can see backstage."

Kaidan searched in his pocket and found them. He clicked one to the metal vent Shepard had been looking out. Shepard squinted back at him.

"What are you … Are you bugging it?"

"I have four more," Kaidan said.

"Good thinking, Major."

"See. I didn't go to the Spectre offices to download expense reports."

"Uh huh." Shepard crawled forward. "Wouldn't put it past you, Kaidan."

"I'm not that boring. Come on."

Shepard kicked her foot back at him. "I'm just giving you a hard time."

"Yeah, I know, Shepard." He pushed her foot away. "You're still bleeding, you know."

"Hmm."

The duct twisted and the vent panels spaced out until they disappeared. Kaidan turned on his Omni-Tool light.

"Are you grumbling back there, Kaidan?"

"Should we look up a blueprint? At some point, it would be nice to get out."

"You suggesting we backtrack?"

"Not necessarily. Just … Never mind. Go ahead. Lead the way."

"I'm the one bleeding from a dog bite. We get trapped up here, I'm dying first."

Kaidan exhaled a long hiss and reached for her ankle again. "Let me bandage it, Shepard."

"Shhh! Your voice—"

"Carries?" Kaidan whispered. "You're just as loud, Shepard. I know you don't think you are, but you are."

Shepard flashed her light back at him. He squinted.

"Radio silence." She waved a hand forward.

They shuffled along on their hands and knees in silence. This vent was never going to end. Shepard stopped and a thin light illuminated her face. She flashed her Omni-Tool light upward and rolled onto her back. Kaidan bent to look. There was a vent in the ceiling of the duct. Shepard peered down her body at him then looked back up and pushing up on vent with both hands. It gave way. She flashed him a smile then crawled up through it. Kaidan followed her.

The vent led out onto an indented curve where the wall met the ceiling, probably not a place anyone was meant to stand. Rolled-up back drops and suspension lines reaching out around them. The dimly lit backstage area stood below crowded with set materials and props. Nothing moved below. It was empty.

Shepard raised on the balls of her feet and peered below. Her eyes passed over the ropes and pullies for the backdrops. She grinned. Oh no. He glanced over the edge. When he turned back to her, she had that glint in her eyes. There had to be a better way. But fine. He wasn't going back in that duct. He gave her a nod and moved to the ledge.

Shepard shimmered and reached out to one of the ropes. Metal pullies squeaked as the rope glowed, unwinding, and slithering through the air to them. Kaidan caught it in a fist and shot a glance back at Shepard. The rope curled taut around the pulley above, and Shepard smiled at him. He looped the rope into a foothold and gripped it tight. He met Shepard's eye then stepped off.

He tried not to give himself much momentum, but he still swung. He swung into the unfurled backdrop but deflected it with a glowing hand. Shepard burned like a blue flame as the pendulating rope lowered to the stage floor. He released the rope and dropped into a crouch. He made a quick circuit of the backstage – chairs, background cut outs, fake plants, tables, even a piano, a couple open doorways along the wall bulging with clutter. On either side of the stage stood sliding doors. They probably connected to the main stage judging by the muffled voices and scuffing sounds. It was clear though.

The rope swung slowly just above Kaidan's head. He raised his hand, and it glowed blue as it coiled upward. The pullies squealed. The rolled-up backdrops and scaffolding creaked overhead dropping dust on his head as the rope wound around its pulley. From this distance, it took some concentration to coil the rope and bring the end over to Shepard. She could lower herself undoubtably, but one of the first things you learned as a biotic was not to juggle too many tricks at once. Manipulating a rope and pulley, ready to catch or correct any problem, was enough on its own without managing your own descent. Kaidan had seen more than one biotic juggle too many things at once and fail. Shepard clutched the end of the rope. Her weight shifted onto it as she dropped over the side.

The stage's side door clicked, and floorboards creaked. Kaidan exhaled sharply but kept his eyes fixed on Shepard. The door's seal hissed open as the doors slid apart. She was only halfway. Shepard glowed and reached out a hand. Something large scrapped across the wooden floorboards behind Kaidan. It crashed into the doorway to a surprised yell. Shepard released the rope. She slapped to the floor on bending knees and caught herself with her hands. They dropped the mass effect fields, and the room dropped into a dim yellow.

Shepard pushed off the floor tearing to her feet. Kaidan raced behind her around the piano and sliding to the floor as the door's blockage burst open. Five men tumbled through the doorway shoving aside a bulky costume rack with harsh voices. Their footsteps pounded into the center of backstage. One of the men yelled and pointed upward. The rope swung slowly above them. Shepard touched a pistol to her thigh. The muscles in the back of her hand tightened as her finger curled around the trigged. A man waved around the room and one looked their direction. He drew closer with narrowing eyes. Shepard pressed back against the piano and raised her pistol up beside her head. Kaidan's eyes shifted up to the swinging rope and creaking backdrops overhead.

A blues flash caught all the men's attentions. Their heads snapped up. Kaidan tore out the rigging and scaffolding, and it all gave way. Kaidan pushed Shepard back as everything crashed down. Screams swallowed in the concussion. Flying debris and torn shaffolding exploded against a blue shield rippling from their hands. Pieces of metal and wood cut into the floor around them.

Voices screamed as footsteps charging up the stairs to the main stage outside the doors. Broken wreckage groaned with pieces still falling and sliding in a swirling gloom of dust. Shepard coughed and covered her mouth. A man moaned on the edge of the pile-up. Shepard flashed blue and snapped his neck before Kaidan had even turned all the way. She shoved Kaidan from behind, and they slid along the wall as a crowd poured through the two side doors. They merged into the crowd as it welled around the debris. People jostled and rushed to move debris. Others ran screaming for help. Kaidan slipped through the nearest side door with Shepard trailing behind. On the other side of the theater, bodies flooded in from outside and swarmed up the aisles to the stage. Several of the ones running up wore armor and clutched rifles to their chest. They bumped around people rushing on stage and headed down a side aisle.

The older man from earlier appeared at the back of the auditorium and roared something. He shoved people aside and tore down the aisle coming directly at Shepard and Kaidan. The woman from earlier was yelling on his heels. Kaidan hedged in front of Shepard. She was a lot more recognizable. Kaidan's eyes strayed to the rifles thumping against armored chests of the men running by. The man's eyes roamed over faces as he pushed them aside nearing them. Kaidan moved sideways pressing Shepard against the wall behind his shoulder. He didn't let his eyes drop. The man slowed as his eyes met Kaidan's. The woman behind him slowed too studying Kaidan. Blood rushed in Kaidan's ears, but he nodded with a smile. The man's brow furrowed, and he opened his mouth. Someone screamed from the stage.

"Petersons's alive! We need medical."

The man eyed Kaidan darkly but turned his head to the stage. The woman touched his arm and whispered something.

"Someone find Yuorik!" he said. "You, Gable, you need to …"

The man brushed past Kaidan. The woman didn't spare him a glance. The people around them moved forward again as the man passed up to the stage. A woman behind Kaidan yelled for bandages and water. As they neared the auditorium's entrance, three armed men pushed them aside as two people rushed by with a stretched. The people were going so many different directions at once. Kaidan tried to keep his gait purposeful as they walked down the theater's entrance hallway and out the front door. No one seemed to notice as they slipped around the barrel fires and around the corner of the building into the dark. Shepard followed a little delayed.

"More people than I thought," Kaidan muttered.

"If this is just the pre-conference workshops …" Shepard eyed him sideways.

They jogged along the side of the theater. The parking garage rose ahead of them. Shepard slowed with a grimace. Her left leg trailed with each stiff step. Kaidan frowned. Dogs barked behind them from the front of the theater. Lights came around the corner illuminating dogs rushing ahead of the voices.

"Must be in the off-limits area," Kaidan said.

"Deja vu." Shepard's jaw flexed, and she picked up her pace.

They entered the parking garage and cut to the left for the row of storefronts. Shepard tripped over a cement parking block, and Kaidan grabbed her elbow. The dogs and voices echoed down the side of the theater. Shepard stumbled into a sprint, and Kaidan rushed to keep up. A dim light beyond the edge of the parking garage looked like the beginning of dawn. If they could make it to the buildings, they could hide. Shepard faltered.

"Shepard!"

She limped a step and touched her calf with a hiss. Barks reverberated through the cement parking garage. She swung her head and looked back. Chips of pavement scattered out under her feet as she lurched forward again. She pumped her arms, tripping a little, eyes narrowing on the parking lot exit. A voice yelled something behind them. One of the dogs howled. Shepard lagged. Kaidan slowed, darted a look over his shoulder, and scooped her up. She didn't fight him. She clung to his neck and peered over his shoulder breathing hard into this ear. They broke out from under the shadow of the parking garage and raced to the closest building.

"Kaidan …"

He skidded up the broken front window of some store. He tumbled Shepard over the edge of the jagged glass and leaped over as dogs hit into the wall. He almost threw out a shield, but it'd be too dark not to be seen. The people would be close enough to see the light. He stumbled back instead and shoved Shepard toward a stairway. The dogs roared snapping lunging outside the broken window. One yelped as it broke out the bottom of the jagged glass and dropped through.

The stairway crumbled with exposed bricks as they rolled out onto the second story. The whole right side had caved in and exposed. A dog bellowed tearing up the stairs about to the clear the landing. Kaidan mashed it with his boot as it came up the last stair. It toppled overtop the pack rushing up behind.

"Kaidan."

She was halfway up a fire escape ladder to the roof. Kaidan stumbled back kicking at another dog. Voices yelled up the stairway. He jumped up the ladder smashing down at the dogs lunging at them. A bit hooked on the sole of his boot. He kicked it back and pulled up the final rungs. Shepard slammed the escape ladder's hatch closed

"They'll search up here. I heard them," Kaidan said.

The building abutting the roof had probably been several stories high. Torn curtains riffled through a broken window a story above. Voiced hollered at the dogs amid a few shrill hurt whines. Probably beating them back to the ladder.

Kaidan turned to Shepard. She was already ready. He hoisted her up. He jumped and snagged the window edge. Shepard pulled him up. His boots scrambled over the window seal right as the hatch flung open with a metallic bang. Shepard peeked over the window ledge. Wide eyes turned back to him, and she motioned Kaidan deeper into the building. They rushed down a long hall. Caved-in offices lined the soiled blue carpet. They went down a staircase and moved through two more collapsing buildings before they slowed. Shepard limped up a twisting flight of stairs.

"Doing all right?" Kaidan asked.

"Yeah," Shepard said. "More worried about the blood trail I'm leaving. You get bitten?"

He shook his head. They forced open the door at the top of the stairway and spilled onto a flat roof. They slunk to the wall and squinted over the rim. A group of people and dogs moved in the low morning light on edge of the parking garage. It was too far and dark to count them, but nothing else moved in the streets. The people lingered in a group but called back any of the dogs straying toward the street. Shepard released a long breath. She put her back against the wall and melting down the wall.

"Thought they saw the blood on the roof," she said.

"Think we gave ourselves away?" He said, eyes fixed on them.

"We caused a commotion. Let's just hope they don't suspect we're Spectres or anything official."

"Two Council Spectres routed by dogs? For the embarrassment alone, I hope they don't suspect."

"They suspect biotics, and they'd know we're military. Besides, can't very well leave a pile of bodes. That would raise enough alarm to change venue. Just hope that 'accident' backstage took out all the witnesses."

"Not Peterson," Kaidan said. "Apparently."

"It was fast. Probably didn't see anything."

Kaidan slipped down the wall next to Shepard and leaned his head back. Blood oozed under Shepard's fingertips as she prodded at bit on her ankle. Kaidan leaned over and cupped a hand over his Omni-Tool light as he looked at it.

"Wish I had medigel, Shepard."

"Never appreciated medigel like I should have."

"Like anything you get used to probably."

"I suppose."

Kaidan leaned back and touched a slice on his forearm. Must have gotten it reaching over the broken glass when he dropped Shepard. Shepard's fingers touched his arm, and she bended to look at it. She looked up at him, and he smiled at her.

"You okay?" he asked.

She shrugged scooting down.

"Tell you after the next full moon," she said resting flat on the floor.

"Medigel's not going to help that."

"Would for now. I have two weeks to figure out my next move."

Kaidan rested his elbows on his knees. He craned his neck to the see the shadowed outline of the theater behind them.

"It bother you too, they're not obeying the city leash law?" Kaidan asked.

"Pretty sure they don't have burn permits for those barrels either," Shepard said.

"You see those rifles? That armor?"

"Caught my eye. Must have some generous benefactors."

"Rifles were Tsunami line. Standard issue."

Shepard's eyes rolled up to his, but she didn't say anything.

Kaidan leaned back on his arms. "What now? They're stepping up their patrols in the street. Up for leaping across rooftops?"

Shepard gave a long sigh, hesitated, then sat up. "Let's go."

"I'm joking." He pushed her back down. "Let's call a friend, right?"

Shepard settled against the floor. "Hope you have more cousins to go with all these favors you're owing."

"I won't run out." Kaidan grinned. "I suppose I should have mentioned Henry's views on monogamy. I can use his card over and over."

Shepard smacked him lightly on the leg. "Hey. You gave me your playboy cousin?"

"Playboy?" Kaidan smirked. "Maybe aspiring."

"Well, good luck using your reusable card on Vega or Joker or Garrus or whoever else."

"Vega already got his card," Kaidan said. "How about we message … What time is it? Who gets up this early?"

"They have to find a shuttle, work out a way to come in unseen, and rescue us from being, quite literally, being treed by dogs. Being woken up is only a fraction of the inconvenience."

Kaidan looked down at her. "So, being woken up even earlier and actually getting treed by the dogs with you … where does that rank?"

Shepard poked his knee. "I won't joke, Kaidan. Ranks pretty high."

"Well," he said. "You are the one helping me with my Terra Firma angle, maybe it's me actually owing you."

"I want a better cousin."

"Should have read your warranty."

Kaidan typed a message into his Omni-Tool and tapped the send button. He slid down beside her and looked up at the sky.

"I put out the SOS."

"We probably could make it from roof to roof. I think they recalled the dogs. The sentries can't be out too far."

"Already sent the message."

"Treed by dogs."

"Right."

Shepard interlaced her fingers across her middle and sighed. Kaidan rested his face against the cement and watched her. Her eyelashes blinked slowly with each breath as she stared up at the fading night sky. Pale morning light touched the stray hairs across her forehead. Her lips curved up, and her eyes shifted over to his. Kaidan bolted upright.

Shepard frowned up at him. "What's the matter?"

He took a deep breath and hunched forward pulling up his Omni-Tool. "Nothing."

In Kaidan's peripheral vision, Shepard twisted her face back to the sky. He stared straight forward with his heart pounding. He was forgetting himself. It wasn't the old times. He squeezed his eyes shut and let the feeling slide away. His wrist buzzed. He raised his Omni-Tool flashing with a message. Kaidan brought it up.

"Joker's coming," he said turned the screen off.

"Joker?" Shepard asked. "You know, he already thinks you owe him one."

"I know," Kaidan said absently. His throat felt dry.

"When he pulls in for us, I wouldn't lead with your Henry card," Shepard said. "Joker could quite literally leave you to the dogs."

Kaidan rubbed a spot on his arm and didn't say anything for a moment. When he looked over, she was frowning at him. He straightened and flashed her a smile.

"I think the dogs are circling for _you_." He fixed a smile on her. "The white one wants seconds."

"The great white one?" Shepard grinned.

Kaidan nodded then looked away. They sat in silence except for distant barking and a sack caught in on a broken antenna and moving in the breeze. Geese honked overhead. Kaidan brought up his Omni-Tool and tapped through the screens.

"So, uh … why Joker?" Shepard asked.

Kaidan glanced back at her. "Access to a shuttle. Doesn't need a pilot. Probably can manage a stealthy extraction."

"Makes sense."

Kaidan scrolled down the holoscreen glowing on his arm. They were all functioning, all five bugs. Shepard shifted on the ground beside him.

"Why not Liara?"

"Liara?" He paused. "Why?"

"I thought maybe … She doesn't live too far off."

Kaidan punched a button activating each bug. "Well, if I knew you cared, I would have taken requests."

"I don't care."

He shrugged. She lifted her head and squinted at his screen. He held his arm out for her to see.

"You placed them all? When?"

"A lot more backstage than I wanted, but we'll see."

Shepard sat up on her elbows. "One of us needs to be back here to catch that private meeting. If there's a backroom conversation, we can't count on the bugs picking it up."

"I agree."

Kaidan touched his ear and concentrated. They worked. He switched between the bugs. It was just chatter. Seemed like there was still a lot of upset over the disaster backstage. No suspicions being voiced that he could hear. Didn't mean there weren't any though. He'd have a lot of audio to shift through as they continued to record. Shepard watched him.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? You want to listen too?"

"No."

Kaidan's eyes moved back to holoscreen, but he could still see her watching him. Kaidan pulled the earpiece out and curled his hand around it as he looked back at her.

"What's the matter, Shepard?"

She held his eye but didn't say anything. He snapped the earpiece back into his Omni-Tool and turned to face her. Their eyes met. The silence stretched between them tightening in his chest, and he swallowed dryly. A soft light gleamed in her eyes, and energy surged in his chest.

"Shepard …"

A shuttle engine hummed. Shepard sat and up and twist her head to it. A message blinked on Kaidan's Omni-Tool.

"Rides here," he said letting out a slow breath and then stood.

It came in low and droned quietly as the door slid open. Shepard took a flying leap and stumbled to catch herself inside the shuttle. Kaidan followed and mashed the button to close the door. He clicked the earpiece out of his Omni-Tool again. If someone saw the shuttle, the information might take a while though to filter indoors where his bugs could pick it up. Still, hopefully if it was noticed, it would be like Shepard said. If there wasn't a reason to suspect Alliance or Council infiltration, they wouldn't change any plans. Shepard limped up by Joker. He looked around his seat at them as the front window lit up with skyscrapers and skycars.

"Okay, guys, next time we see Cortez, we're talking about this. You see the way I slid in there?"

"Slick, Joker," Shepard said leaning against the wall behind his seat.

"Kept the hum down and lift cycle low. Low purr. In and out. About as cloak and daggers as you can get on this thing."

Shepard grinned as she sagged against the wall. Kaidan walked over, but she waved him off.

"Bring any medigel, Joker?"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Kaidan touched the cut on his forearm as the skin tightening and pulling together. It sealed under the numbing coolness of medigel. He looked up at the brightening dawn through the paned windows.

Shepard set the medigel injector on the counter in Miranda's office. The folding chair squeaked as she hunched over her ankle. She rested it across the other knee and rolled her pants' leg up. The seal on the door hissed, and Shepard's head swung to it as it opened. Her slender fingers paused grazing the tapered curve of calf above the ankle. Kaidan blinked, heart pounding, and snapped his attention back to the window.

"This is it for now," Miranda's voice said.

Kaidan tilted his head just in time to catch a tube of medigel just before it hit his chest. Shepard snatched hers out of the air and smiled down at it in her open fist.

"Keep the ones you have too," Miranda said. "You don't know what I had to do for them."

"Thanks, Miranda," Shepard said grabbing the other injector and stuffing them both in a pocket. "You always come through."

"So far, Shepard. Keep that Medigel on you. Don't inject it in your Omni-Tool and let it go bad. We still haven't been able to compound it. Stock is sparing."

"I know," Shepard said.

Squeaking came from the the plexiglass cages lined up on the counter. Miranda saw him looking.

"I've been using that poison's formula you sent me," she said. "Working on a monoclonal binding protein to neutralize it a victim's system."

"Didn't work for the rabbit?" Kaidan asked.

Miranda's head turned to the first cage in the row. She walked over and tapped the glass with the back of her knuckles, then frowned.

"Guess not."

"Mice look perky," Shepard said.

"Haven't introduced the poison yet."

Kaidan fisted the medigel injectors and crossed to the office door. "Thanks, Miranda."

"Where you going?" Shepard frowned.

"I'm meeting with Lieutenant Kophki in an hour."

"Pretty early meeting," Shepard said.

"He's in Tokyo." Kaidan stopped at the door. "I'll catch you later, Shepard. I'll send the codes to the Spectre offices so you can access audio off those bugs."

"Thanks. Hey though." She stood up. "You going to that Alliance shindig tonight?"

"The outlook presentation with the lawn reception?" he asked with a sigh. "Told to be there. I think Hackett's saving me a seat right between himself and General Dolan."

"Cushy." Shepard smiled.

Kaidan pressed his lips with a shrug and turned.

"And Kaidan," Shepard said. Kaidan paused at the open door. "It was good working with you. Felt like old times."

Kaidan glanced back at Miranda, who'd turned to the window with her datapad. He glanced over at Shepard briefly forcing a weak smile and moved away.

"Good to see you too, Shepard."

He hurried down the hospital hallway and navigated his way to the skycar terminal outside. The air rolled in cool and foggy off the ocean. He breathed it in as he waited watching the weak morning light in the east. He'd dreaded this – spending time together again, working together – but it had been fine. It should only get easier here on out. A new normal. The memories, the feelings, the loss would fade and burn away like fog in the morning. Maybe it was too much to hope he'd feel nothing, but to control it, instead of it controlling him – he could get there. He'd taken the first step.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Shepard gazed around the Summit Hall. Big as a cathedral and took just about as long to build. Some scaffolding in the back showed they still had finishing touches. It felt echoey with only a hundred people. Come the Summit, when it filled up, everyone talking like this would be a deafening roar.

Across the hall, Admiral Hackett's eyes locked on Shepard as he rounded a group of turien officials milling beside the stage. There were only a few Alliance officials here. He shook skimming along the front row of seats until he met her. She snapped him a salute. He returned it with a smile.

"Commander Shepard."

"Admiral."

"Glad to see you back on duty."

"Thank you, sir."

He stood shoulder to shoulder with her facing the panoramic stage. Oriana looked small up on the massive stage glancing at the clock on the wall. She gave a wavering smile as she shook the Councilor's hands and fidgeted with a bracelet. A black cape draped over the sculpture towering behind her. Miranda stood beside and gave Shepard a smirking smile as they talked to Councilor Mason. Reporters readied themselves around the elevated edge of the stage angling their cameras. For once, they weren't after Shepard.

"You've been helping with the Terra Firma threat?" Hackett asked.

"Yes. You didn't need any information on that, did you?"

"What? No, no. I don't want anything on that. You don't need to share it. But … how are things going with it?"

"We have some leads."

"And by 'we,' you mean Major Alenko."

Shepard glanced sideways at him. "Is that a problem?"

"No." Hackett shook his head and clasped his hands behind his back. "You're both Spectres. You haven't … associated in some time. A brief collaboration on something of this order isn't unwelcomed."

Shepard didn't say anything.

"Have you seen the Normandy yet?" Hackett asked.

"I thought she was being detailed."

"We have some major repairs underway. New elevator system being installed. Unfortunately, resources are limited, it will be same deep space shuttle model as before."

Shepard stifled a curse under her breath and glanced sideways at him. "That shuttle nearly killed everyone in the cargo bay."

"Eezo's limited. These older core models use less of it. Pursue it with Admiral Wilson though. Maybe he can get somewhere with that. We'll need her ready. The relays will be up."

"If we recover the shard."

"When we recover the shard, yes. The relay repairs are nearly complete other than that. There are contingency plans if it can't be found. Regardless, when it's functional, you'll get your wish to be out there again. A lot of possibilities for the Normandy, for you."

"And my crew?"

"Your choosing, within reason. I imagine you'll get some say in your XO this time. But Admiral Wilson should talk with you about this, not me."

People hushed and turned to the stage as the Councilors assembled in line. Miranda patted Oriana's arm and crossed to the stairs. Next to the Councilors, Oriana interlaced and re-laced her fingers with a strained smile. Miranda walked along the edge of the stage and stood beside Shepard.

"I'm not part of the sculpture, right?" Shepard asked.

"Don't worry," Miranda said.

Reporters edged into position around the stage as various officials and Alliance officers filling in around. In a few days, the room would bulge with almost every species, the most important players, the highest stakes, decisions on the fate of the galaxy.

Councilor Mason spoke as Oriana bit her lip and straightened her back. Miranda beamed with her eyes fixed on Oriana as they readied to pull off the cape. Some of the cameras bobbed pivoting to focus on Shepard. Why the press wanted her reaction, she couldn't say, except they just loved suffocating her.

Shepard readied a smile and stretched her tender calf. The dog bite barely hurt anymore. Kaidan was right. You really didn't appreciate medigel until you'd gone without it. Then to have it back - the relief. The dog bite had been starting to hurt like hell, but then that fast, the hurt was better. It felt like it hadn't even happened.

Oriana tugged the cape away. It rippled to the stage's granite floor. An obsidian sculpture towered over the Councilors. Figures in the sculpture stood side by side curving around the image of the crucible with their hands overlapping on top of it - human, turien, asari salarian, quarian … geth. Shepard's throat tightened. Geth. Looking over the figures' shoulder stood many more in the sculpture's background – hanar, vorcha, batarian, drell, volus. The sculpture was perfect. Exactly the focal point the Summit needed to remind everyone how far they'd come and what they risked. The crowd boiled with applause. Miranda smile so broad her teeth peeked through. She didn't even appear to be trying to stifle it. Shepard clapped with a grin. There was hope going forward.

XXX

Miranda handed Shepard a flute of champagne. Shepard accepted it with a nod and sipped it as she circled the statue on stage. She craned her neck up to see the figures' faces.

"Do you like it?" Oriana glowed coming up to her.

"It's perfect, Oriana."

"Thanks, Commander Shepard."

"So formal," Shepard grinned. "No one's listening."

"I am," Miranda said.

"You don't count," Shepard said.

A voice called across the stage at them.

"Diana Allers, Battlespace News. You're the artist, correct?"

Shepard pivoted and lifted her flute to Diana. The reporter stood below the stage and strained toward them with a microphone. Her camera bobbed just at the edge of the stage but not over it. A C-Sec officer eyed Diana from the corner of the stage.

"Ori, go talk to her." Shepard nodded toward Diana.

"Really, Shepard?" Miranda asked. "The press?"

"Why not?" Shepard said. "She worked hard on this. It's wonderful. Go get some credit. Bring some attention to it and what it stands for. Go with her, Miranda."

Oriana glanced hesitantly at Miranda. Miranda gave Shepard a pointed sigh then turned and ushered Oriana to the stairs. Allers stumbled over another reporter as she rushed to the meet them at the bottom of the stairs.

Not many people were left. A few Alliance officers mingled to the side. It was mostly just reporters. A waiter came by with a tray of empty flutes and eyed hers, but she waved him on and took another sip.

The statue was well done. The lines and faces looked real. Better artistic work than Shepard could ever dream of doing. Miranda's genes really were perfect. Shepard touched the smooth black stone and ran her eyes up the body of the geth. Extinct now. Millions wiped out in one instant by one decision by one person.

She drew an unsteady breath, feeling a little dizzy, and stumbled back a step. The glass flute tipped in her fingertips. It shattered at her feet in a splash of champagne and glass. A waiter rushed over with a towel over his arm. Too early for champagne anyway. Shepard dropped to her hands next to him as he spread the towel out.

"I'm so …" Shepard stared at the champagne spreading across the floor.

She stood up slowly and turned in a circle with widening eyes. Reporters yelled at her from the side of the stage, but she ignored them. A smile curved up on her lips. She flicked on her Omni-Tool. Kaidan couldn't be that busy today.

XXX

Shepard scrolled through the scan results on her Omni-Tool. She'd finally finished scanning the right side of the stage. Still nothing. She lowered herself onto the stage's stone steps and reviewed the records from the Summit Planning Committee. They still weren't helpful. Shepard sat back against the top step and sighed.

She glanced around the stage again. For her tour, it looked like construction was about finished. Only the details were left. The sprinkler system was only half installed. The ladders and boxes of sprinkler heads shoved back stage for the ceremony. The glass case on the stage's wall was still empty where the biotic fire axe and AED machine needed to placed. Shepard doubted the fire alarms had been tested yet. All contingencies for a disaster, but maybe not the right disaster.

She brought up her Omni-Tool's message screen again. Maybe he'd decided not to come after all. It had been an hour since the first message she'd sent asking him to meet her. She hadn't gotten a response. She could tell he'd received it and read it, but time ticked by with nothing. She'd finally sent a second message and just come right out with what she'd found. She'd gotten a quick reply - he was coming. With all the scan results negative, she should probably just message him again. Tell him not worry about it after all. She brought up a message window.

A door in the back opened and Kaidan rushed through. He took a side aisle scanning the room around him until his eyes stopped on her. She stood. The hall was empty except for them. As he neared, his eyes shifted to the stage.

"Have you found anything?" he asked.

Shepard smirked. "Hi back, Kaidan."

His eyes flicked back to her. "Sorry. Hi."

Shepard pivoted to face the stage. "I almost messaged you. I haven't found anything."

The stage came up to Kaidan's chest, and he leaned over it running a hand over the tiling.

"It's one solid piece," Shepard said. "It's set in the stage like a giant disc. I have the instillation records. The Summit Planning Committee ordered it. Installed last week. I thought it may conceal explosives, but I can't find anything incendiary."

"Hmm." He turned to her. "Pretty big coincidence if it's not connected. Blue quartz and marble. The timing."

"Right. Any ideas?"

Kaidan lifted his arm in the air over the edge of the stage. A distortion in the air wavered around his arm as it moved.

"How's the shield?" he asked.

Shepard stepped back drawing her pistol from her belt and fired. Kaidan tripped backward with a curse and pressing palms to his ears.

"What the hell, Shepard!"

"Their new shield technology's working." Shepard jammed her pistol away. "Well, from bullets anyway."

Kaidan lowered his hands. "You couldn't warn me?"

"Between drawing my gun and discharging it, there were a few seconds. There's your warning. Besides, I fired in the corner not next to you."

The air still rippled at the corner of the stage. Shepard strolled over and bent next to the front row of chairs. A flattened bullet turned over in her fingertips as she stood.

"We still don't know if it's working to deflect biotic attacks," Kaidan said.

"Right you are." Shepard tossed the bullet up and caught it. "How about you go on stage, and we'll find out."

Kaidan eyed her. "How about you go on stage, and we'll find out."

A grin spread split Shepard's face, she crossed over to him. "You're afraid I'll hurt you."

"Shepard, don't get me wrong - you're an amazing biotic, a huge force on the field - but you're, uh … not gentle."

"Gentle?" Shepard grinned even wider. "Come on, you like it rough."

His eyes widened on her, and he looked away sharply. She watched him squirm with a smirk before he crossed his arms and glanced at her again.

"Maybe not as much as you think," he said.

"Come on," Shepard said. "Get up there. I'll give you the smallest tap. If the barrier's working you won't even fill that much."

Kaidan drew out a long sigh but dropped his arms and passed by her. He trotted up the stairs to the stage. His steps slowed as he neared the center, and he glanced around the stage with a wrinkling forehead.

"You ready?" she asked.

His focus snapped back to her. He blinked as if clearing his head and found a central point on the stage.

"Small tap," he reminded.

"Like running into a butterfly. I promise."

"Okay." He waited.

Shepard glowed and flung her hand out at him.

"Anything?" she asked.

"Not a thing."

"There's our answer then."

Kaidan seemed to catch something in the edge of his vision. He turned with raised eyebrows.

"Oriana's statue?"

"Yeah. I scanned it too. Nothing."

Kaidan shuffled to the back of the stage and stared up at it. "It's amazing."

Shepard leaned against the edge of the stage and put a palm on the blue quartz floor. The shield was working to block outside gunfire and biotics then. An idea crossed her mind. She shot along the bottom of the stage and up the stairs. Kaidan circled the statue running a hand along the surface.

A feeling - something familiar, magnetic and jittery - drew Shepard's feet forward across the stage. As she crossed over the center, it spiked then die away. She took a step back. For a second, she almost forgot why she came onstage. The air rippled around the stage's stage, and her eyes went to Kaidan. The shield prevented attacks from the outside, but the attacker might not be on the outside. What if … Shepard flared blue. Kaidan twisted to look at her with a pinched brow. Small tap. Shepard raised her hand to him, and the air flashed. Kaidan flew across the stage. Shepard yelped and scrambled after him.

"Kaidan! Damnit."

He lay flat on his back. His eyes cracked opened. The flash of energy had nearly thrown him off the stage. His forearm hung over the edge, and he blinked droopily up at the stage lights. Her shadow fell over his face as she bent over him.

"Kaidan? Hey, hey. You okay?"

His eyes shifted to her. He drew in a deep breath and blinked rapidly as if trying to bring her into focus.

"Say something. You okay?"

He nodded but didn't say anything. Perhaps she needed to call a doctor. He took another deep breath.

"I'm okay," he said.

"Kaidan." She studied his face. He met her eyes as if finally really seeing her. "I'm sorry. You all right?"

His face scrunched as he raised up onto his elbows. She stood and put a hand out to pull him up.

"Damn, Shepard," he moaned. "What happened to the small tap?"

"It was," she said.

He grabbed her hand, and she hauled him to his feet, staggering back a step.

"That was like running into a butterfly?" he said. "What the hell type of butterflies live on Mindoir?"

Shepard laughed. "Uh, I swear, it really was a small tap. Or meant to be. You all right?"

He touched the back of his head then drew his hand back to look at it. "I'm fine."

"You looking for blood?"

"Well, yeah. Damn, Shepard. Your small tap would put down a krogan. I said you were heavy handed."

"I was just seeing if biotics work inside the shield. Should have warned you. Sorry."

Kaidan dug around in his pocket and pulled out two green capsules. He looked at them for a minute before tipping his head back and swallowing them.

"Dr. Chakwas would get on you for not taking those with water."

He shrugged. "If Dr. Chakwas was here, I'd be half way to an MRI."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that."

Getting a new implant – she should have anticipated it wouldn't be a straight across transition. She still needed to get a better feel for gauging her strength. She had really meant it to be a small tap. She eyed him.

"Okay, Kaidan." Shepard took a step back and put out her arms. "Give me a small tap."

"I don't need paybacks, Shepard." He felt the back of his head again and winced.

"Not paybacks. Just … why don't you show me your version of a light tap."

He sighed and walked past her. He tapped her shoulder with a finger as he passed. "Light tap. There."

Shepard spun around. "Uh huh. Now biotically."

Kaidan stopped in the middle of the stage and turned to her.

"Come on," Shepard said. "Show me up."

"Fine." He sighed.

Blue washed over his skin, and he raised a hand. Shepard's vision flashed. She reeled backward with a gasp and stumbled to stay on her feet. She sucked air in through her teeth as she doubled over. White flashes swam in her vision as footsteps pounded to her. Kaidan's hand grabbed her shoulder.

"Shepard!"

She clasped Kaidan's arm steadying herself and caught her breath. The pain of being socked in the gut loosened, and her vision cleared. She cringed straightening her back. Shallow breaths eased the sharp pain in her ribs. Kaidan stared into her face with round eyes.

"I'm so sorry," he muttered. "I … hell, I'm so sorry."

"Your small tap sucks, Kaidan."

Shepard pushed Kaidan away and stood taller with a grimace.

"All that bragging about your soft touch, Kaidan." Shepard groaned.

"Bragging? I wasn't the one comparing my biotics to a butterfly."

Shepard hugged her middle. Kaidan put a hand on her shoulder again.

"I'm so sorry, Shepard. You really okay?"

"That _was_ meant to be a soft tap, right?"

Kaidan gaped at her. "Why even ask me that? Of course, it was. I wouldn't hurt you."

"Something's off then. We both thought we were only giving a little tap."

Kaidan dropped his hand from Shepard's shoulder and stared around them.

"I think you're right." He turned on his Omni-Tool.

Shepard tilted her head to see his screen as laser rays glowed across the floor in front of them. Kaidan paced around the stage as the beams scanned the stage. His feet moved slowly across the stage's center. He stopped and backed up a step. That familiar energy was still there pulling at her. She came up next to him.

"I feel something here," she said.

"Me too," he said and looked back at her. "I felt it when I first came up. Doesn't feel like FLT or a biotic signature. Something with a mass effect field though."

"I feels …" Shepard squinted focusing on it. So familiar. Her snapped to him. "It feels like that Mass Effect shard - the one I recovered from the relay."

Kaidan's eyes darted to her with raised eyebrows. He concentrated on the floor for a second before nodding. "Yeah, it does."

"How would you …"

"James and I found it on the Normandy after the attack."

Kaidan's Omni-Tool beeped and the beams shut off. He touched the screen.

"Eezo," he said looking up.

"There's element zero in the floor?" Shepard shifted to look at his screen. "That's a large ass amount of eezo. This stage is huge."

Kaidan took tentative steps away from the center. He frowned with a concentrated look and retreated back to the center.

"The stage's inner layer may be eezo," he said, "but there's something's here, in the center."

Kaidan flipped on his Omni-Tool's scanner again and sank to his knees. They had both stood in the stage's center when they hit the other. Shepard threw a spare heatclip spinning across the stage and walked to the edge. She flung a glowing hand out at it. The clip flashed and skid across the stage. She stopped it from dropping over the edge. Kaidan glanced up idly but turned back to his screen. When she got back to the center, she threw her hand out again. The clip flashed and exploded off the stage. It boomed against the far wall leaving a cracking dent and disappeared under the rows of chairs. Shepard looked down meeting Kaidan's wide eyes.

"See, could have been much worse. Good thing you have more mass than a pistol clip." Shepard said. "Seems to be the center of the stage that matters."

Kaidan's face glowed orange as he stood staring into the holoscreen on his Omni-Tool. "Shepard, look."

She came up beside him.

"The shard," Shepard said.

Kaidan turned in a circle and gazed around the stage. "This is the weapon - Terra Firma's weapon. It's what those specs were for. They built it."

"The center amplifies mass effect fields," Shepard said. "They embedded it in the Summit's stage?"

"It's for the attack." Kaidan met her eyes and turned sharply. He strode to the stairs off the stage.

Shepard stared around them at the huge marble and quartz floor. The Summit's stage was Terra Firma's mass effect weapon.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Shepard spun after Kaidan and slipped in front of him before he went down the stairs.

"It's for the attack?" Shepard said. "Then it's the Scorpion's attack on the day of opening ceremonies?"

"Part of it. Has to be," he said stepping around her.

"Where are you going?"

He paused on the top stair. "The Council."

"Wait, wait." Shepard passed him and rounded to face him in the middle of the stairs.

He folded his arms and sighed. "Why are you stopping me?"

"Listen. The only way to use this floor is by someone who's a biotic and inside the shield, right? Standing in the center."

Kaidan shrugged. "Yes."

"Then," Shepard came up a step, "from what you told me, Kaidan, this has to be for one thing. It's your scorpion's coming out party. What better way than having your biotic powers magnified ten-fold, kill and devastate everyone that ever have stood up to you, and all on live vid in front of the entire galaxy? This is how we catch him."

Kaidan just stared at her.

"Narrow's our list, doesn't it? The Scropion's on the guest list for the opening ceremony. What biotics will be onstage?"

"Any asari."

"Humans?"

Kaidan gave a long sigh and frowned. "There are hundreds of awards."

"Probably less than a hundred biotics, I'm betting, and we'll have a list," Shepard said. "Look a little happier. Your list of suspects just narrowed in from millions."

"All right." He watched her. "We have a list to key on. After we take out the floor."

"Take out the flooring, it gives us away. He won't reveal himself." Shepard folded her arms mirroring Kaidan. "This is how we catch him."

"You can't be serious."

"Dead serious. Why not? Think about it."

"Shepard, I am thinking about it. Maybe you're not thinking about it." Kaidan took a step back from the stairs and gave her a hard look. "With this floor, even a weak biotic could kill everyone in the room. Maybe bring down the entire building. The Councilors, the Alliance brass, the most decorated contributors to the war, delegates and alien leaders … We need to take out this flooring. We need the shard back for the relay."

"The relay can wait. We can remove the shard later." Shepard stepped onto the stage in front of him. "Removing the flooring only adverts this disaster, not the next. We have the upper hand here. How much time until they just plan something else. Next time, we might know nothing about it."

"It took them a year to come up with this one. It would buy us enough time for the relay's to be up and the alien leaders to be safely on their way."

"Or push Terra Firma into a panic."

"If they're disorganized that works in our favor," Kaidan said.

"Maybe panicked and desperate, but with the Scorpion and other leaders still in charge, it won't be disorganized. They have a lot already prepared – people recruited, targets identified, resources."

"Shepard," Kaidan stepped in closer. "This is like finding a bomb with the fuse burning. We can't just let it burn all the way to the ignition hoping we catch it in time to prevent the explosion."

"Kaidan, we didn't win the war by being conservative. This is our best chance to hit them between the eyes. Without the scorpion, they'll be lost. We find their panel of leaders through this private meeting they're planning and stop the wider attacks, their whole network goes down. A matter of days, and the terrorists you've been hunting for months? Gone."

"We don't know this is our best chance."

"We take out this flooring, mess with it, we lose the only real thing we do know - the day of opening ceremonies, the Scorpion will be here on stage, and will reveal himself"

"And if he uses his biotics before we can stop him?"

"We'll stop him."

Kaidan exhaled sharply and shook his head. "We don't know that! We don't even know who we're stopping."

"The center of the stage is where the fields amplify. We rope it off. Someone crosses the ropes, we'll have caught him."

"Rope it off?" Kaidan stared at her. "You don't think that's going to give us away?"

Shepard focused on the center of the stage. Her eyes flicked to the statue in the back.

"If there's a reason for it to be roped off …" she murmured then turned to him with a clear voice. "We move the statue to the center, and rope it off. Shouldn't be too odd. And if someone tries to get to the center, I'll be there. I'll stop him."

"Meaning …"

Shepard sank to her haunches and pressed a palm to the floor. A blue barrier spread across the surface of the marble and quartz slab. The barrier encircling it into the floor. "Go over there. Try your biotics. Bet it won't amplify. Not when there's a barrier covering it."

"That's hardly foolproof, Shepard. The timing …"

"I know. I'll have to be quicker than it takes the Scorpion to reach to the center. But trust me, it will work."

Kaidan gave a long drawn out sigh and shook his head. "Shepard, I trust you can do it, but we won't know anything until the Scorpion makes a move. We could be watching the wrong person. Maybe you're talking up front or distracted. There are too many variables to control, and it's at the cost of the Councilors and alien leaders. A huge risk, Shepard."

Shepard regarded him silently, then finally said. "You'll be my backup."

"Shepard, I can't—"

"Yes, you can," Shepard said.

Kaidan's brow furrowed concentrating on the stage at his feet. "I haven't practiced covering something this size this a barrier. To be strong enough, impermeable? That would take time. Three days won't cut it."

"You start it, I'd come in. If I see it first, then come in and help me. We can do this. We're good at strengthening each other's biotics."

Kaidan touched his forehead and looked up at her. "I don't know, Shepard. The risk if something goes wrong … We need to tell the Council. They can decide."

"There could be moles there was easily as in the Alliance."

"So, you and I - renegade human Spectres - we just decide this for everyone?"

"I've made those decisions before."

Shepard eyes strayed to Oriana's statute. The black stone eye of the geth stared across the stage at her.

"Shepard, you really think this is the only way?"

"It's not the only way, but I think it's the best way."

Kaidan ran a hand down his jaw and paced. Finally, his hand dropped and he turned to her with a deep breath.

"Okay. I trust you. I'll back you up on this."

Shepard nodded with a creeping smile and came over to him. "Let's practice then. I know you can do this."

XXX

It would take more practice, but he could do it. His barrier was weak, but it could stretch enough to cover the floor by the end. If the Scorpion sprang over the ropes, he was going to be under enough heat, there shouldn't be time to attack Kaidan's barrier. Besides, their barriers together would be more than enough.

There might be push back from the Summit Planning Committee on repositioning the statue, but she'd drive it through. It would probably look great there. If the committee thought she was just being partial to Oriana by centering the statue, all the better. Kaidan checked his Omni-Tool as they walked out the Summit Hall's main door. He turned down the hall.

"Kaidan, where you going? What about the Alliance reception?"

Kaidan turned. "Still a few hours off. I'm going to lie down. Hackett wanted to talk to me before the presentation anyway. I'll just see you there."

"Okay," Shepard said.

She watched him disappear down the hall. He didn't look back. Not even once.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Forays into Council space have been extensive from the Terminus sector," the Alliance admiral said leaning forward heavily on the glass lectern. He waved an arm at the galaxy map projected overhead. "Two salarian colonies have been utterly destroyed per the Council report. In light of this, the Council had gifted Orian Station near the border of Terminus space and near one of the key relays. Efforts to stabilize the sector, reestablish relay communication and travel will be an Alliance priority pending restoration of the Sol and Arcturus relays."

Shepard shifted in her chair and strained to see through the rows of heads. She'd seen Hackett enter earlier. If Kaidan really was sitting him it must be somewhere in the first few rows. An Alliance captain Shepard only vaguely knew sat next to her and leaned over in a whisper.

"Take years to set up near the Terminus system and get that relay back up," Captain Urris said. "Council should be handling this themselves, right? Or the salarians?"

"We have colonies out there," Shepard murmured. "I'm sure more than the salarians are getting the brunt from those slavers."

Captain Urris kept her voice low. "I'm sure, Commander. Just seems like we're trying to be Galaxy Marshall and Protector for the Council. No offense."

"None taken." Shepard shrugged.

"Are they going to use Spectres over that way?"

"Can't see why. Not enough of us to throw away on the Terminus System."

The presentation segued into terrorism suppression. Mention of the spike in mercenaries working for special interest groups made Shepard's eyes flash up to the map of the Terminus System. An idea started percolating. Maybe something worth mentioning. Admiral Wilson was around, she'd seen him come in. She supposed any ideas had to go through him now.

The overview seemed to go on forever. Speakers presented on inter-human nation relations, rebuilding efforts, the relay, the alien evacuation, and relief efforts. The Alliance did seem to have some lofty goals. If things worked out and the Council didn't rock the boat, the Alliance could end up being the power behind the throne. Flight Admiral Dumas grinned taking a seat in the front row after his blip on Council collaboration. The whole damn Admiral Board, or the ones she could see, seemed rather smug. The giant screen flickered overhead with forecasts and bullet points as hundreds of Alliance yes-sirs bobbed their heads to the presentation.

The presentation ended with the prerequisite reception of brown-nosing and elbow-rubbing. At least, this one had drinks. Glass patio doors opened onto a manicured lawn surrounding with a reflection pool rippling with a marble fountain in the center. Leafy hedges bordered white pebbled pathways shirting the lawn to the back where a long bar had been set up. Admiral Cicero turned to her as she approached. He lifted a drink off the glass bar, eying her with a quick up and down, and inclined his head.

"Commander."

The Alliance brass were out in numbers as to be expected. The lowest ranking officer here was … well, it was probably her. There was Admiral Wilson. Shepard made eye contact with down the bar and started forward. A woman moved aside but then stopped with a smile to shake Shepard's hand.

"Commander Shepard," she pushed black hair behind her ear.

The uniform marked her as a science officer. Maybe she wasn't the lowest rank here then. The woman seemed familiar.

"Alicia Mason," she said.

"Ah, right," Shepard said. "Good to see you again. Your brother's here too?"

"Commander." Admiral Wilson came up beside them. Apparently, the eye contact had been enough to beckon him.

"Admiral." Alicia saluted him then turned back to Shepard. "No, unfortunately, he's been busy lately."

"That so?" Shepard said.

Wilson squinted at Alicia maybe trying to place her. It made Shepard smirk when his eyes widened.

"Councilor Mason's daughter, am I right?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," she said.

He suddenly stood up straighter and turned to fully face her. "Lieutenant Mason's efforts in Tokyo and Prague have been extraordinary. That, and Councilor Mason's work on the Council. You have an extraordinary family, Officer."

Alicia's smile had a strained quality on her otherwise flat face.

"Admiral, you know she's receiving the Council's Caduceus Honor at the Summit's opening ceremony."

Wilson glanced at Shepard then looked back quickly at Alicia. "Of course, the whole family. Your contributions are as valuable. I didn't mean to suggest otherwise."

Alicia gave a grim nod and shook Shepard's hand. "See you there, Commander. Honored we'll share the stage."

As she retreated, Wilson frowned. "Too bad the lieutenant couldn't be here. He's been upset over that botched attack on the Blue Sons last week. We'll get them eventually though."

"Where's he tonight?" Shepard asked.

"Couldn't say. Should have been here. He's been busy with Council duties though. He's an important link between the Alliance and Council."

Shepard almost rolled her eyes but Wilson was watching her. If the admirals really cared about linking the Alliance and Council, it seemed like their human Spectres would have a little more value.

"Did you need to speak with me, Commander?" Wilson asked.

It broke Shepard out of her reverie. Her mind flashed back to the Terminus presentation.

"Actually, sir, I wanted to suggest something. The overview started with a focus on the Terminus System. Perhaps I could speak to the Admiral Board. I have a suggestion that could solve a few of their problems."

"Being?"

"Aria T'Loak."

"The mercenary queen?" Wilson's gave a pinched look and folded his arms.

"Let me talk to the parliament. Send her and her people to the Terminus System along with our ships. She's bored. Her mercenaries –"

"Those that aren't working for terrorists."

"Even those that are," Shepard said. "Give the mercenaries something to do and somewhere to go. They won't be working for the terrorists, and they'll be out of our hair."

"They'll be working for Terminus system pirates and slavers instead."

"Not if they work for us. It worked during the war. Omega's gone, but Aria still wants to be Despot of the Terminus system. Give her what she wants – a trip there, some independence, importance again- she'll help us stabilize the sector."

Wilson drummed his fingers on his elbows still folded tight across his chest. He sighed.

"I suppose, I could find a time for you to speak to Parliament about it. I doubt they'd consider working with a crime lord, but you're persuasive. It's not an impossible idea."

"Thank you," Shepard said.

Wilson regarded her for a moment and the small smile had a hint of warmth. "I think we'll be able to work together well enough, Commander. Continue to go through me and not reach over my head, and I'll make sure you're heard."

Shepard watched with a slight smile as he crossed the lawn leaving her by the bar. Perhaps she could work under him. They'd both had the air knocked out of them with the attack on the Normandy.

Admiral Cicero and some other officers swallowed her up in discussion. Shepard listened absently to a discourse on how to respond to the Rachni activity reported near Palavin. Her eyes couldn't help wandering around the garden over Admiral Cicero's shoulder. A galactic map marked with sectors and key talking points stood across the lawn near the building. Dim lights glowed in the black velvet board signifying different star systems and clusters. It ran the length of the outside wall. Officers milled along it pointing out highlighted sections, probably areas discussed in the presentation. Kaidan stood silhouetted in the scattering of stars. Hackett clutched a drink standing at Kaidan's elbow and waving vaguely up at the map. Shepard took a long drink of her wine and pushed around Admiral Cicero with a flashed smile.

The reflecting pool's coy twisted in figure-eights along the marble rim as Shepard moved toward the sparkling map. A pair of officers sat on the fountain edge discussing turian politics and nodded at her with a smile as she passed. Shepard slowed nursing her drink and waited until Hackett broke away leaving Kaidan staring up at the map. The last sip of wine rolled around on her tongue as she slipped through the grass up behind him. He crossed his arms and turned abruptly. He collided into her.

"Whoa." Shepard grabbed his arms.

His eyes widened, and he stumbled back a step.

"Close one." Shepard held up her wineglass for him to see. "Good thing it's empty."

He glanced at it with a strained smile. As his eyes settled on her, the edges of his lips seemed to lose their tightness.

"Hey, Shepard," he said then waved at her empty glass. "You can spill on me. You're doing my laundry anyway."

Shepard narrowed her eyes at him.

"Think again, Alenko. It wasn't a standing offer."

Kaidan gave her a warm smirk and shrugged. "Guess it's good your glass was empty then."

"How you feeling?" Shepard asked.

"Ah," Kaidan said with a soft chuckle. "You mean, after you threw me across the room?"

"Only part way," Shepard corrected.

"And now, you renege on doing my laundry," Kaidan said. "My feelings are hurt, Shepard. But, uh … my head is fine. Thanks for asking."

"Good. To show how contrite I am, I promise not to throw you around again. At least, for tonight. And long as you're well behaved."

"Lot of dependent clauses in that promise, Shepard." Kaidan grinned. "You know, now I'm not seeing double of you, you're a lot less intimidating."

"Knew there was a reason to keep the clone."

"She could be at the Council meeting. You could be napping."

"That assumes one precludes the other. Some of my best naps have been in the back row of the Council Chamber."

"Shepard." Kaidan smiled. "That's classic comedy vid material. You're getting called on, and you won't know the question. Inevitable."

"If they call on me, I'll weave in a plug for restoring the krogan's relay. Joke's on them."

"A natural politician."

Shepard bumped his arm with her shoulder. "Hey, now my feelings are hurt. Remember those dependent clauses, my friend."

Kaidan grinned goofily and pointed a finger at her. "Next time you're getting one of your best naps in, I hope Admiral Dumas sits down right next to you," then he added, "my friend."

Shepard smiled into his face. She looked back over her shoulder at the bar. "What do you want to drink?"

"Now?" Kaidan checked the time. "Probably water. Already had a couple."

"Responsible."

Kaidan shrugged. "I like remembering my conversations with you."

Shepard's eyes strayed to Admiral Hackett standing with a group of Alliance brass in the presentation hall. Flight Admiral Dumas stood in the group watching her with a sharp intensity. Hackett and Wilson followed his cold stare. She gave them a tight smile, inclined her head, and turned to face Kaidan putting her back to them. Kaidan eyes were fixed over her shoulder though. A mirthless smile pulled up on his lips, and he tilted his head at them.

"Think we'll make the morning's Alliance gossip rags?" Shepard whispered.

Kaidan nodded again with the same fixed smile at someone behind her before his eyes dropped to hers. "Maybe front cover."

"Front cover? Well, then. We could make it really juicy. I touch your elbow for a lingering five seconds, let the toe of one boot graze yours. The scandal."

"Actually," Kaidan's eyes shifted over her shoulder again, "they might like that. Might be best to just talk later."

"Eh," Shepard shrugged. "Hackett already kissed both cheeks and crossed me. Said I could investigate the Summit terrorists with you."

"Didn't sprinkle you with holy water, though. I doubt he wants us drinking and talking about anything other than terrorist." Kaidan held her eyes for a moment and flashed a full smile before taking a step back.

"Kaidan," Shepard said and stepped after him.

"It's past midnight.," he said. "Besides, something woke me up at three o'clock. I didn't have a council meeting to get caught up napping."

Shepard rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll give you that one, but look, don't run off. We can talk terrorists. I love talking terrorists. And I'm done drinking." Shepard turned her glass upside down. "Gone. See?"

"I need to go." He smiled at her and walked backward. "We need to figure out a plan for the terrorists' meeting. We'll talk again."

Shepard sighed. "Fine."

She watched him turn down the white graveled path and walked through the patio doors. He saluted Hackett and the other brass as he passed. The black velvet map sparkled beside her against the wall. She turned and looked up where Kaidan and Hackett had been pointing. The Terminus System.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Say, Shepard, Tali and I want you over. Everyone's in town. Why not have everyone over?" said Garrus's image on the desk's terminal.

"Turien Day of Comradery," Tali added ducking her head briefly in beside Garrus's on the screen.

"What?" Shepard said leaning back in her chair at the desk.

"Turien holiday," Garrus explained. "Militant like they all are, of course, but this one's fitting."

"Yeah?" Shepard tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair and checked the time. Meetings, meetings, meetings. "Okay, so tell me, what does ones do on the Day of Comradery?"

Garrus shrugged. "What does any species do on a holiday, Shepard? Drink, eat, talk, drink."

"That's it? Just a party?"

"There's more to it than that, of course, but I'm expecting you to add to your facial tattoo or sing the Palavian Battlesong."

Shepard smirked. "I've seen you drunk enough. I might know it."

"You can lead us off then. Might be the most entertaining part of the night, depending on if you go dancing."

"Oh, ha ha, Garrus. You're the only one obsessed with my dance moves."

"The rest are too polite to say, but Shepard, you and me, we say it straight."

"So, speaking straight, nothing else I need to know? Just a party?"

"Well, not just a party per se. Someone's usually nominated for a speech at the end."

"Hey!"

Garrus rolled his eyes. "You're just assuming it's you."

"I'm going to be campaigning all night that it's you," Shepard said.

Garrus grinned. "I've given my fair share. I could recycle one from a few years back. I got a few head bobs from my father's friends in the Hierarchy."

"Depending on how much you serve,I'm betting you can get more than head bobs from our group. Maybe a hoot or a holler."

"Oh, I'm hoping," Garrus said. "You're supposed to end the speech with gunfire in the air."

"I'm liking this holiday."

"It's a loud day on Palaven. Or used to be." Shepard eyed Garrus, but he pressed on. "So come armed, Shepard, if I didn't already need to tell you that."

"You have kids at these parties?"

"Every Palavian home has an arsenal. You're shooting your rifle before the age of eight. Children younger than that, well, they don't usually get anything to fire."

"Usually?"

"Toys," Garrus said. "Also, for the speech, there's something you should know."

Shepard tipped her head back to the ceiling. "Garrus. Do you know how many speeches I've already given?"

"Then it should easy, Shepard. Now you need to know, each speech ends with saying 'Die for the Cause.' Cue gun fire."

Shepard narrowed her eyes. "If they don't like the speech, that gun fire …"

"Oh, it's rarely not up in the air."

"Better make sure I'm on good terms with everyone at this party then."

"Already given up campaigning for someone else to give the speech?"

"That's plan A. Sometimes plan A's don't work out."

"So true, Shepard," Garrus said. "And wear blue. Or … hmm, maybe red would be better."

Shepard leaned forward on the desk. "Garrus, I know you're worried about my fashion sense but show some trust here."

"It's the holiday, Shepard. It's traditional to wear blue."

"Why red, then?"

"Blue for turien blood spilt. It's a holiday commemorating the sacrifice one for another in war, sacrifice one for the all, that sort of thing. Right up your alley."

"And yours."

"And all of ours. Thus, the party."

Shepard grinned. "Sounds like a good reason to get together. I'll come, and I'll wear blue."

"Human blood is red."

"But this is a turien hoiday." Shepard held up a finger.

"Then, good. Tali …" Garrus turned as a shadow passed the screen. "Shepard's coming. She'll give the speech. No worries."

"Good, good." Tali's masked face leaned into the screen again. "Just long as I'm out of the running."

"Hey!" Shepard said. "Maybe I'll campaign for you instead of Garrus."

"Now, don't split the votes," Garrus said. "You're a better politician than that."

"I am not a—this exchange is going downhill."

Garrus whistled. "A dig at your dancing and I set you up for the night's speech, but it's calling you a politician that riles you. Interesting. I think I just found a button."

Shepard gave him a tired look but smiled. She pushed back in her chair and stood over the terminal.

"Okay. I'll see you in a few nights."

"I'll send out the messages. Think they'll all come?"

"Advertising my dancing …"

"And you'll sing the Battlesong?"

"Whatever it takes to sell, Garrus. Sell it too good though, you'd better have enough space."

"Oh, we do. Enough for everyone and their date too. Bring someone, Shepard," Garrus said.

"Things fell through with the vorcha, sad to say."

"Seriously though, Shepard. Think about it."

Tali nodded into the screen. Being in love must make them think everyone else should be too. Shepard smirked and rested her hand on the off button.

"Got some meetings to attend. See you later."

"Vakarian out," Tali said.

Garrus's head turned to her. "Stop stealing my closer." He looked back into the screen. "vas Normandy out."

"See. I'm fine with that," Tali said.

Shepard rolled her eyes. "Garrus, don't make me use 'cute' on you. Talk to you both later."

She pushed the button and their faces blinked out. She checked the time again and hustled out of her barracks.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Kaidan stretched his back and turned off the audio from the bugs. He paced around the small space. The Spectre offices had more or less segregated into sections used by different Spectre races. No one came in this area but him. He ran his hands over the pistols lining the workbenches against the wall. His fingers lingered on the TN470. He glanced at the hallway door. The shooting range was just down the hall. He backed up though rolling his neck and strolled to the desk. He flicked off the terminal's screen. The image of the terminus system blipped away.

Heaviness settled in Kaidan's chest as he heard Hackett's words again. The Terminus System – it would take years. He wiped it from his mind. There were other things to focus on before he dwelled on that. He turned off the room's lights and strode through the Spectre offices eying the exit at the end of the hall. He passed a room of computer terminals on his left. Something caught his eye, and he backed up.

"Spectre Taccus," Kaidan said.

Taccus hunched over Ursul's shoulder one hand on the back of her chair and the other bracing himself forward on the desk. His eyes shifted sideways to Kaidan, and he straightened.

"Ursul," Kaidan said taking a few steps into the office. "How are you feeling?"

She gave a long sigh and kept her eyes fixed on the terminal.

"What do you want, Alenko?" she said. "Trolling for thanks in saving my life?"

"No," Kaidan said. "Didn't know you got back. Just glad to see you're all right."

Taccus folded his arms and faced Kaidan.

"You're working on something for the Summit I hear," Taccus said.

"Terra Firma's planning an attack," Kaidan said.

"I heard the rumors."

"They're more than rumors."

Ursul finally turned her head to size Kaidan up. "You know anything about the missing warheads lifted off the Shields?"

"Do you?" Kaidan asked.

Ursul snorted and looked up at Taccus with a frown. "Won't tell us, will he? Spectres collaborate, Alenko."

"I'm happy to collaborate." Kaidan came all the way to Ursul's desk. "Do you know anything useful?"

"Terra Firma has them, of course," Taccus said. "We have reason to believe they're being transported into the city. Two good sized explosives and the nuclear warhead the Alliance last track of."

The hours of audio flooded over Kaidan. He stared at Taccus. "You're sure? Into the city?"

"Don't even bother," Ursul muttered to Taccus under her breath and turned back to the computer terminal. "Information's all one way with Alenko."

"It could be part of the attack on the Summit," Kaidan said. "I've been listening in on Terra Firma. They have a meeting planned here in Vancouver. It sounds like they're bringing in a shipment or a package of some sort, something to distribute with the marching orders."

Taccus and Ursil shared a look then focused on Kaidan.

"Shepard and I could use your help," Kaidan said. "If those warheads are coming into the city for an attack, this is bigger than Shepard and I can handle alone. I have a time and place. We need to get those warheads back without tipping them off. We have a chance to catch their leadership, including the Scorpion."

"What time and place?" Ursul asked. "You heard Octivus Meilleu is vying for primach? We're practically in a political civil war between Palaven and the delegates here. Octivus is ramroding himself into the Summit hearings against Primach Gustovus's wishes. On top of that, the damned Sheilds are threatening Sparatus's life!"

"We had reason to believe," Taccus said, "the Shields are trying to recover the warheads. Might already have them. They're targeting Sparatus, taking out Meilleu's naysayers. Meilleu has Shield ties."

"If the delivery is the warheads, then Terra Firma still has them. At least, according to the audio I heard today," Kaidan said.

"The Shields are working to get them back right now. Have some reports outside Toronto if they're reliable. The warheads are headed in but under some fire," Taccus said.

Taccus and Ursul leaned together over the computer screen. Kaidan leaned forward to catch a glimpse of the report. Ursul's slit-lidded glance froze Kaidan in place. He took a step back instead.

"You're busy with the Shields and Meilleu then?" Kaidan said.

"I know your human politics eclipse all else," Ursul snapped, "but other races have their own problems. Spectres aren't meant to only focus on human issues, Alenko."

"All right." Kaidan backed up.

Taccus gave him a gentle nod but turned back to the computer. "Another time, Alenko."

"Glad you're back on your feet, Ursul," Kaidan said

He turned down the hallway and strode to the exit at the end. His mind swirled. If the warheads were coming into Vancouver, all that audio made more sense now. It wasn't weapons, armor, or manpower being transported to the meeting to be bring about the "First Day." If Terra Firma was going to destroy the center of intergalactic politics, the symbol of rebuilding and cooperation, manpower and machine guns wouldn't be enough. The Scorpion may plan to kill the Council, delegates, ambassadors, and alien leaders at the Summit on live vid, but a nuclear warhead would kill everyone.

XXX

The Council chamber bulged with spectators and dignitaries. Alliance uniforms, alien representatives, and media personnel lined the wall and even down the aisles of filled seats. Kaidan skirted the people along the wall until he found a standing space between two asari. Down below, a salarian faced the Council from a lectern on the side of the stage.

"An agreement of that sort is unreasonable," the salarian spat into his mic.

An asari stood at an opposite lectern. "If I could just talk."

"The dalatrass will never support this decision," the salarian said.

Tevos stood up from the councilors' table. "A decision has not been reached. This is only an introductory discussion."

"The decision will be made at the Summit." Sparatus sighed and leaning back in his chair.

"No one's willing to make a decision," the asari said.

"I have _my_ decision," Ilk said. "This can't be considered a warcrime. The genophage saved an entire alien race that otherwise would have been wiped from the galaxy. This sort of action and it's like in the future has its place."

"It's not the natural course of things," the asari countered.

"War isn't natural," the salarian at the lectern raged. "It's not about what is natural but what is best. It was more humane than war. Going forward, such actions are be preferable to the barbaric alternatives."

"Sterilizing an entire race isn't barbaric?" the asari said.

"Enough." Councilor Mason stood up. "This has gone back and forth enough. We'll open the floor to comment. Commander Shepard …" He motioned to the front row.

Kaidan strained to see down the row of heads as Shepard walked to the bannister.

"What's your take on this?" Councilor Mason said.

Shepard tapped her fingers on the bannister for a moment then pushed around the gate onto the floor. The salarian and asari's heads swiveled following her as she came to the center and faced the crowd. Whispered conversations died through the crowd, media cameras buzzed higher in the air, and microphones jostled against each other at the front.

"Commander …" Mason waved a hand out at the audience and sank into his seat.

"War may or may not be natural, but conflict is," Shepard said. "We need to have ethical standards, because it's inevitable. When a war ends, the fighting stops, and we're all rebuild, you don't continue bombing and invading. The genophage was part of a war but when the war resolved, it remained."

"Resolved because of the genophage," the salarian said.

"Sure, because of the genophage," Shepard said, "but every war ends because of something – too many colonies lost, soldiers lost, leaders lost. Then there's a surrender. There are consequences – lives lost, resources and equipment, pride—but time moves on and the loser picks himself back up."

"I can see where this is going," the salarian hissed.

"Representative," Tevos warned, "you already had the floor."

Shepard continued. "You can't pick yourself up from a genetic disease carried through generations, a permanent mar on an entire race. It's not like broken bridges, lost ships, and replacing heads of state. It's like continuing to bomb, kill, and destroy the side that long since surrendered."

The salarian squirmed and darted a look at Tevos. Shepard nodded for him to speak.

"Commander Shepard, an enemy is free to research cures for a bioweapon. The losing army rebuilds its own cities. The winning army doesn't come in and rebuild the structures they had to bomb to get the surrender."

"Fair point," Shepard said, "if that's all that happened. If a soldier's shot and then surrenders, perhaps there are consequences – he's crippled. After the war though, if he starts to walk again, should we fear he'll fight against us again and shoot him a second time – keep him crippled? That's not a crime?"

The salarian's bulbous eyes rolled over the crowd and his mouth twitched.

"That's what happened, isn't it?" Shepard asked. "Research on the genophage continued to prevent adaptation."

The crowd murmured. Wide-eyed looks passed between the councilors, and the salarian crept off the podium. Heated voices turned into a general roar. Reporters shoved against the bannister yelling out questions. Shepard folded her arms and watched the crowd placidly. Councilor Mason shot to his feet.

"Order, order," he said. "This topic will be tabled until the Summit."

Questions spilled over each other from the reporters. The Councilors stood and didn't even push in their chairs before scurrying to the stage's back door. Camera lights flashed off their retreating backs, and Mason shot a frown over his shoulder at Shepard before disappearing through the door. Shepard wasn't paying attention as the asari left the lectern and crossed the stage to Shepard.

Kaidan twisted through the crowd. They surged against the edge of the stage's bannister. Shepard and the asari turned their backs to the crowd and talked quietly. Kaidan hopped over the floor's railing. A C-Sec officer in the corner swung around with a bark then stopped abrupt. He looked over Kaidan with a nod and turned a cold look to the railing behind him. A reporter halfway over the bannister looked back and forth between Kaidan and the C-Sec officer before pulling his leg back over the railing with a timid smile. Kaidan trotted up the stage's steps and crossed to Shepard. The asari stopped talking as he came up behind them. Shepard glanced to the side. Her eyes widened on him.

"Kaidan."

"Hey, Shepard."

The asari gave Kaidan a smile. "The other human Spectre."

"Kaidan Alenko." Kaidan put his hand out.

The asari shook it. "Representative Irralle." She looked back to Shepard. "Your support means a lot, but we can discuss it later."

Irralle inclined her head to Kaidan and moved down the stage. She retreated into the seething crowd of questions and waving mics. A flash of camera light blinded Kaidan, and he held up a hand to block another flash.

"This way." Shepard leaned into him and nodded at the stage's back door.

Mason stood inside the back room with hands on his hips. He watched the stage door as if he'd been waiting for someone. His eyebrows rose on seeing Kaidan, but the look he turned to Shepard grew dark.

"Shepard."

Tevos and Sparatus's conversation hushed in the corner. Ilk seemed to have already left.

"I know," Shepard said putting her hands up.

"No, you don't," Mason snapped. "That information wasn't public. It hasn't been declassified by the salarian and turien governments."

"The krogan already know. It's common knowledge on Tuchanka after what happened with the cure. Who else are you hiding it from?"

Sparatus snorted. "Shepard, you're turning the Summit into a circus. These issues are causing outrage."

"The Summit's only going to last a few days, not a year. If we don't talk about the hard things now, what's the point?"

Tevos glided over to them. "Shepard could be right. We need to address these problems before they're out of our control."

"She should consult with us first," Sparatus said.

"Agreed." Mason frowned.

Tevos turned to her. "Shepard?"

"You want a sidebar each time I add a new point?"

"Do it before you start saying anything," Sparatus said.

"It's not like what I'm going to say is written down on cue cards, Councilor."

"Please, everyone." Mason held up his hand, "Let's remain calm."

"She does this every time!" Sparatus said. "Why did you call on her, Mason? She wasn't motioning to speak."

"I thought …" Mason trailed off.

Shepard stepped back from the Councilors and raised her hands. "There are other things I can be doing. I'm not a diplomat or a politician. Sitting in meetings is not my first choice."

Sparatus snorted and waved at her. "You spent half the meeting on your datapad anyway."

"There's more going on than Council meetings." Shepard's voice raised. "What do you think I'm doing? Crosswords? You're aware there's a terrorist group wanting all your heads on spikes?"

Sparatus's nostrils flared. "How dare you."

"Don't bully us, Shepard." Mason jammed a finger at her.

Everyone looked ready to come to blows. Sparatus practically quivered. Mason's jaw flexed. Shepard's hands balled into fists with whitening knuckles. Only Tevos seemed the least bit cool, but even her eyes had a fiery gleam. Kaidan stepped forward.

"Councilors, attacks are planned elsewhere in the city. They may involve explosives, maybe even nuclear. What kind of manpower can the Council give us?"

"What? When?" Tevos's eyes widened on him.

Sparatus stared at Kaidan as if seeing him there for the first time.

"During the Summit. We need the manpower now."

"Impossible." Mason shook his head. "The Summit's in a few days. What's this about?"

"There are leads, we need to pursue."

"What leads?" Mason pressed. "Spectre, you haven't kept us informed on this. The Council doesn't usually press its Spectres over details, but your silence, Alenko, has been noticed."

Tevos glanced at Mason with a frown. "Spectres have autonomy. We do not oversee investigations. I personally see nothing wrong here."

"What have you found?" Sparatus demanded.

Shepard glanced at Kaidan before crossing her arms.

"Well?" Mason pressed.

"Information's being leaked," Kaidan said.

"It's just the Council here and you two Spectres," Sparatus said. "Unless you don't trust us or each other."

"We need manpower," Kaidan said. "I'm sorry, but it's in your interest that we keep the information close."

Sparatus spun away and marched to a far door. Tevos gave them a pressed smile and followed.

"You'll need to rely on your Alliance resources," Mason said. "We don't give Spectres manpower."

"Maybe you should," Kaidan said.

"You two," Mason looked between them. "There's a reason you're both still Alliance. Use their resources. The Council has no more to say. If you have something to actually tell us, then let me know. Until then, you'd do well to take a permanent recess today, Shepard. Tomorrow too."

He strode after the other Councilors and into a hallway of offices. The door closed behind him, and Shepard's face hardened. She twisted to Kaidan.

"Nuclear warhead?" she asked.

"Three warheads. One nuclear. Intel from Taccus. I think they're planning to offload it at their meeting."

"Damnit," she muttered. "We need more help then, but it never changes - no help from the Council. Why does it even surprise me?"

She motioned for him to follow and moved to a door in the corner. Kaidan trailed her.

"Want to hijack a ship? Made you feel better before."

Shepard glanced back at him. "That would make me feel better."

"Which docking bay has the Normandy?"

Shepard's grin showed teeth. "Anderson's not here to punch anyone out for us."

"Thought I was missing a step. But this might not be a conversation for the Councilor's offices."

"Uh, good point. And that's why you're first on my list anytime I hijack the Normandy."

"Honored." Kaidan pushed the button and opened the door. "Joker's number two, right? Otherwise, it'll be a short chase."

"Another good point, Major. Keep them coming, and let's go."

They turned out into the Council Wing's hallway.

"Where to, Commander?"

Shepard poked at the datapad dangling in his hand. "Something you're meaning to show me?"

He'd forgotten he carried it. He passed it to her. "Have time to talk?"

"Permanent recess," Shepard reminded him taking the datapad. "Kind of like giving a cookie to the kid disrupting class. I looked properly chastened though, didn't I?"

"Rarely seen you so chastened."

"Not overdone though?"

"Came across very natural."

"I kept the tears and lip quivering in reserve."

"Don't tip your whole hand, Shepard."

Shepard grinned as they continued down the hall. Warmth spread in his chest seeing it out of the corner of his eye. He was pretty sure he was grinning the same way.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Admiral Hackett paced. His face contorted in thought. The room had a similar layout to Shepard's room. Hackett's room was one hall over from Shepard's just as she's said all those months ago. That felt like forever ago now. Shepard perched on the couch across the coffee table from Kaidan.

Hackett turned to them. "The warheads, you're sure? And the Scorpion at the opening ceremony? That would make him a celebrated war hero or an official."

"We don't know anything for sure, yet," Kaidan said.

"Why would someone like that work with Terra Firma? What's the motive?"

"What's anyone's motive in working with terrorists?" Kaidan said then stiffened. His head snapped to Shepard. "I mean …"

"It's fine." Shepard waved him off. "The Major is right though, we don't need to sort out a motive now."

"And why so many attacks?" Hackett said. "Why attack from the stage then use a nuclear weapon that destroys the entire city? Seems redundant."

Shepard shrugged. "Perhaps the Scorpion attacks first, leaves on the Normandy in a blaze of glory, the entire galaxy in awe. Then the warheads go off to clean up the leftovers and drive the point home."

"That stage - the eezo, the shard." Hackett shook his head pacing in front of the window. "This mass effect weapon is troubling, Commander. Major Alenko is right - we should move the ceremony. At least limit the guest list, keep the biotics to a minimum."

"Very well." Shepard leaned back on the couch. "We do that, then what?"

"We watch the biotics on that list. We'll catch him eventually."

"How will we eventually catch him?"

"He'll meet with people we've tagged. We'll intercept communication. Proof will come."

"The Scorpion's obviously good at what he does," Shepard said. "The next attack could be sooner than the time needed to catch him. It's already taken us a year to narrow down to a list of a hundred.

"Narrowing the suspects is the hardest part," Kaidan said.

"You're so certain?" Shepard asked. "Certain enough to face the consequences if you're wrong?"

"What do we risk is you're wrong?" Kaidan asked lightly. "What happens if we can't stop the biotic attack on that floor?

Hackett stopped pacing. "Can we replace the flooring quietly?"

"The Scorpion would know," Shepard said.

"How?"

"A biotic could tell," Kaidan agreed.

Shepard leaned forward and folded hands on her knees. She looked at Kaidan. "If I'm wrong, I know it would be devastating, Kaid—uh, Major." Shepard glanced sharply at Hackett. Hackett crossed his arms with hard eyes. She licked her lips and turned back to Kaidan. "But, Major, that risk of doing nothing has just as devastating an outcome, and the chances of us stopping it are less. This will work."

"You just had your implant replaced," Kaidan said. "How can you be so sure your biotics—"

"I know my biotics," Shepard said.

Kaidan didn't say anymore and sat back further on the couch. Admiral Hackett looked between them with arms still crossed tightly on his chest.

Kaidan touched his temple and said lightly, "We don't know who we're watching for."

"I'll keep my eyes open."

Hackett pivoted to Shepard. "Commander, this is a risky gamble."

"I can do it."

"And should something happen to you?"

Shepard nodded toward Kaidan. "I have Kaidan." Admiral Hackett gave her with a thin-lipped frown. "Major Alenko," Shepard corrected with a sigh.

"I'll back her up," Kaidan said.

Hackett's black stare broke away from Shepard and flicked to Kaidan. "I hope you both know what you're doing."

"If Commander Shepard says she can do it, I know she can," Kaidan said finally.

Hackett studied him with a pinched brow then finally sighing.

"Well, you're both Spectres. It's at your discretion," Hackett said. "I'm sorry I can't support you better. Without anything formal, I can't put men at your disposal."

"None?" Kaidan asked.

"No. I'm sorry."

Shepard's shoulder's drooped and her eyes dropped to the floor.

"Okay," she sighed and stood. She started to the door.

"I want to help," Hackett said. "If I put soldiers under you or Alenko's command, the whole Alliance would know. They'd know when, where, and everything you don't want them to know about this sting."

"This is bull crap," Shepard said spinning around. "The Council, the Alliance - it affects all of you. No one helps us. Geth, Collectors, Reapers, now Terra Firma - there's no end!"

Kaidan rose. "Hey."

"What?" she snapped. Her eyes shifted to him.

"We're not out of options."

She eyed him with a hard glint as he came over. He stopped in front of her with a slanted smile. They held each other's eyes, and the corners of her lips loosened. She sighed finally and turned back to Hackett.

"Admiral, I know you're trying. I appreciate it."

Hackett watched them with a slight curve to his lips. They turned, and it dropped. The smile had been so brief, Kaidan wasn't sure he hadn't imagined it. Hackett cleared his throat and gave a slow nod.

"Yes, I'm sorry I can't help, Commander, Major."

Shepard darted out the front door. Hackett straightened and gave Kaidan a hardened return nod. Kaidan dipped his head with a tight smile then followed Shepard into the hall.

XXX

Kaidan leaned back against the desk with folded arms and watched Shepard survey the Spectre office. She ran her hand over the firearms on the wall and strolled over to a map of Vancouver. Likely targets were marked – transport, energy, military. A galaxy map spanned the wall next to it. She used the toe of her boot to tip open the metal lid on a chest of grenades. Kaidan leaned to the side as she reached past him to check the desk's terminal.

"Same accesses as I have in my room," she murmured and wandered to a workbench in the corner. "TN470?"

She hefted it. She grinned holding it out and looked down the barrel.

"You know the Spectre offices are for you too?" Kaidan said.

"I know." She set the pistol back on the workbench. "This is all your stuff?"

"Not all of it. Some of it."

"Hmm." She rested against the corner of the workbench. "We're the only ones that come in here?"

Kaidan hesitated. "This room? I suppose. It's more or less for the human Spectres."

"When did they build this?"

"It's been a few months. Converted it after the comm division moved to the new Business Services Building. You've never been in here?"

Shepard shrugged.

"I'm surprised," Kaidan said. "I mean, I'm not going to be here. It's more your space than mine."

"You're here," Shepard said picking up the TN470 again.

"For a few more days. After that though …" Kaidan's eyes drifted to the galaxy map on the wall. The Terminus System. He swallowed dryly and shoved off from the desk. "Move in whatever you want. It's yours."

Shepard pulled out the TN470's thermal clip. "Hopefully, I won't be stuck at HQ all the time. Plus, you'll be back from wherever they send you. I won't throw your stuff in the hall to make room for my fish tank. Though …" She popped the clip back in. "I think it would add a lot of character."

"Right." Kaidan gave a limp smile. "Go ahead though. I'm partial to fish."

Shepard smirked. "If this leads into a quip about eating fish, remember, I'm holding a TN470."

"No, I like watching them. Remind me of you."

Shepard's eyes flitted up to him. She weighed the pistol in her hands. "You going to Garrus's party?"

"Seems like the wrong time to be partying."

"Perhaps," Shepard considered. "Already told him I'd go. It's some turien holiday."

"Yeah, I got the message. Saw your friend, Jack, earlier today with her biotic students. Here for the Summit. Lot of the old group in town."

Shepard nodded. "Jacob messaged me. Wanted to meet up. I'll see them at Garrus's party though. We do need to get prepared for crashing Terra Firma's meeting, but we'll be ready. A few hours won't matter. It might clear you're head a little, come back at it hard and fresh."

"Tomorrow night?" Kaidan asked.

"Hanging out with the old gang again."

Kaidan considered it for a moment then shrugged. "All right."

"Good." Shepard thumped the gun back down on the workbench. "Okay. What are our options? We're down to 48 hours give or take."

"What's always worked for you before, Shepard?" She just eyed him, so he answered. "Your crew."

"I don't have a crew."

"Yes, you do," Kaidan said. "The old gang."

"They're not my crew anymore, Kaidan."

"We may not serve on the same starship anymore, but everyone's on your team. We're all going different directions - but for now, right here - everyone's together. I bet you only need to ask."

Shepard regarded him quietly.

"Maybe," she said finally. "If Terra Firma has explosives, you're right, we need manpower. And if there's a backroom meeting with the upper crust's representative, we need to know what they're planning. I'll think about it."

"We'll see everyone tomorrow night, right? Keep thinking on it."

"I will," Shepard said. She motioned to the Vancouver map on the wall. "I see you marked some hotspots. Give me the rundown, Major."

Kaidan turned to the map and couldn't help smiling. Talking tactics and intel with Shepard, he had to admit, it felt good. Felt right.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"Garrus, Tali, I can't believe you live here," Shepard said stumbling around the white leather couches. Her reflection gawked back at her in the windows. It superimposed a manicured lawn moving with people.

"Perks of being the quarian ambassador," Tali said.

Garrus leaned in. "Perks of sleeping with the quarian ambassador."

"Sounded a little practiced, Garrus," Shepard said.

"He came up with it last week at the Delegates' Banquet," Tali sighed.

"And she still sets it up for me. True love, Shepard."

"Speak for yourself, Vakarian. We're only friends with benefits."

"A lot of benefits." Garrus grinned.

Tali lifted the wine bottle out of Shepard's hand and head across the room to the open kitchen.

"Look at that walk," Garrus said appraisingly. The added swing to Tali's hips indicated she'd heard him.

"My tour's taken a weird turn."

"Tour, right." Garrus cleared his throat and shook his head. He indicated a few more features. The tall ceiling and huge steel chandelier made Shepard crane her neck. "Great place, Shepard. Well, except for being so far off the skycar pickup points."

"Can't have everything." Shepard grinned. "Though, this is close."

Jumbled conversation mixed with laughter and the pulsing base of a speakers spread around the lawn. It washed over her as Garrus guided her through a tall glass slider and onto the brickwork patio.

"Shepard, nice blue." Jacob came up behind her out of the house. He took her offered hand but pulled her in a quick hug instead. He pulled back and turned to the woman at his shoulder. "You remember Brynn?"

"Of course." Shepard offered her hand with a nod. "How's parenthood?"

Garrus grinned. "See the blood shot eyes and wide smile, Shepard? All you need to know."

Jacob laughed. "Not far from truth. Hey, Shepard, when are you coming to Rio? You keep saying you will."

"Shep!" Jack looped up the patio's stairs from the lawn. "Damn you, Garrus. Where the hell's Shep's drink? Hold out."

"She wanted to see the house first."

"I did say that," Shepard said. "Jack! It's been forever."

Jack cursed and took a step back. "I see that look. Don't even think about hugging me. Shot people in the head for less."

Shepard's smile broadened. "Look, Garrus, a verbal warning first. Aw, Jack, you do care."

Jack rolled her eyes. "Ha. Hell yeah, my warning shots aren't flesh wounds."

"Damn," Jacob laughed. "Just like the good ole days, right? Where's Miranda?"

"Miss Milkway?" Jack said. "She and her fine ass can go to hell for all I care. Bitch better not tangle with me tonight."

Jacob chuckled. "Bet she's looking forward to seeing you too."

People clustered in the lawn around something. Sunset lengthened their shadows to the primrose hedge bordering a low stone wall.. A cool breeze moist with fresh pine and mown grass stirred Shepard's hair as she watched the crowd on the grass.

"What're they doing?" Shepard asked.

"Tag along. I'll show you," Garrus said and lead her down the red bricked stairs and into the cool grass.

Cortez, Traynor, and Adams stood next to the cheering huddle but a few steps off. They raised a trio of glasses to her as she passed.

"Commander," Javik said with a sharp nod passing to the patio.

"Uh, nice blue jacket there, Javik," Shepard said.

"A ridiculous primitive holiday. In my cycle, blue represented childhood and naivete. I believe it still does."

"Oh?" Shepard smiled. "Always a pleasure, Javik."

He continued to the steps. Garrus pointed a lawn game in the center of the crowd. Shepard tiptoed to see over the heads. James whooped and gave Grunt a rough pat on the back. Liara watched with crossed arms and a blank face. A few people stood back watching James throw another hoop. Shepard didn't recognize them.

"Traditional turien game for this holidy - Brackien," Garrus said.

"Looks like a ring toss, Garrus," Shepard said. "In my cycle, winning sent you home with a gold fish or a giant stuffed panda."

"Here you get a bottle of turien finest - Vanicel Wine."

"Uh huh. Rather win a fish. What other turien traditions do we have?"

"The blue as you see …" Garrus turned expansively. "Well, except for Cortez. Said he 'forgot.'"

Cortez's head turned. "I did. I swear. Had the perfect outfit too."

"I believe you," Garrus said, "but you do know at the end of the night, the party guests not wearing blue get dish duty."

"I think you mean, does the speech," Shepard said.

"You're not getting out of it, Shepard." Garrus motioned back to the house. "To the bar. The real place you wanted to see anyway, am I right?"

"Anyone else, Garrus, and I'd feel a little judged by that statement."

"But it is me, Shepard, so don't sweat it. That is what humans do, right? Literally sweat it?"

Shepard's heels clicked across the patio and drew Jack's attention. Her eyes focused on something beyond Shepard through the open patio door. A sneer curled her lips. Miranda had arrived. She and Tali talked by the couches as Garrus lead Shepard across the room. The stark white paint made the chandelier light feel bright.

"If we were on Palaven," Garrus said, "we'd have a spread of dextran delicacies – green fowl and turbid root. Tali's never had turbid root."

"Me neither," Shepard said.

"Next party, bring your Epipen. You'll love it."

"A party on Rannoch?"

"Maybe."

They turned the corner to a gray granite countertop dividing the living space and stainless steel kitchen. Stemmed glasses, tumblers, and an assortment of liquor and wine crowded the counter. Shepard ran her eyes over the labels with a smile. There were drinks for krogan, turien, human, and everything in between.

"Don't know if I'm more impressed by the house or your collection here, Garrus."

"Guests have been adding to the collection."

Tali appeared beside Shepard and grabbed a wine bottle to fill her glass.

"Shepard!" boomed a voice coming across the living room.

Shepard looked up. "Grunt!"

Grunt lumbered to her with teeth glinting in his smile. Shepard braced for the head butt. She wasn't disappointed. She grabbed the counter with locked knees and steadied herself as he laughed stepping back. An asari slinked up next to him. She gave a weak smile and looked quickly over at Grunt.

"Who's your friend, Grunt?" Shepard asked leaning a hand on the counter.

"Friend?" Grunt glanced around.

Shepard motioned to the asari who inclined her head in greeting.

"Oh!" Grunt laughed slapping a hand on the bar.

The bottle rattled. Wine sloshed in Tali's glass as she lurched to steady them.

"Friend? Haha," Grunt said. "No, this is Illora. We've decided to mate."

Shepard's hand slipped on the counter. "What?"

"Shepard! My friend!" Wrex nudged aside Garrus.

"Wrex, hey." Shepard's eyes shot back to Grunt. "Now, what?"

"You did it, Shepard." Wrex tapped Shepard with the back of his hand and set an empty glass on the counter. "We're on the schedule. I knew you'd come through."

Wrex snatched up a bottle of Krogan whiskey. It looked half gone already. Wrex laughed and took a long gulp from his glass. Then, still holding the whiskey, he poured more.

"We have fertile krogan females again. But Grunt, he chooses an asari. It is a waste."

Illora's lips parted with a frown. Wrex's grin only broadened under her glare. Grunt put an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Illora - she's fine as any krogan female. Grunt will have who Grunt wants."

He bared his teeth. Wrex either didn't notice or didn't care as he took a smacking slurp. He rolled the amber liquid around his crystal tumbler and drank it in one loud glug. He slammed it down on the counter.

"Good stuff!"

Glasses rattled. Tali hissed as she lurched again to steady the bottles. Garrus pushed around Shepard and grabbed Tali's arm.

"Enjoy the party. Let's go mingle." Garrus tugged on her.

Tali sighed but stepped away from the bar. "I hate cleaning up broken glass."

"Better than broken furniture," Garrus said pulling her past Grunt and Wrex.

"Furniture!" Tali whipped her head back to the krogan. "Maybe I should—"

"No, no." Garrus tugged her forward with halting steps and a craned neck. "Fun now. Furniture and glass later."

Illora caught Grunt's eye and tipped her head toward the main room.

"Nice to meet you, Illora," Shepard said. "Shepard, by the way."

"Oh. I know." She smiled then cast Wrex a dark look before joining the crowd growing around the couches.

Shepard laughed as Wrex poured himself more whiskey. She grabbed a stemmed glass and shuffled the wine glasses around the counter. Maybe she should have brought a dextran wine for Tali and Garrus. Her hand paused on a bottle made of purple glass. She snatched it up with a growing smile and glanced around. Alenko family winery. Shepard remembered it. She hadn't seen him yet.

Joker leaned over the counter and grabbed a bottle in front of her. Shepard flinched and blinked at him. He sat back in the bar stool beside Wrex. His crutches leaned against the bar.

Joker poured himself a glass of wine. "Our little Grunt's gone and grown up. Seems like only yesterday he was crawling out of the test tube, and now he's bringing a girl home to meet the folks."

Shepard gaped at him. "How long you been here? Didn't see you come up."

"Guess when two krogan and an Alliance pilot with brittle bone disease walk up to a bar … wait, I already gave it away."

"Joker!" Wrex bellowed and turned to him.

"Hey, Wrex. How's it going? Alliance Headquarters still sending you invoices for those cafeteria tables?"

Wrex chuckled. "We keep on good behavior. For now. We'll see. Right, Shepard?"

Joker looked between them. "Uh … okay. Seems ominous, but whatever."

"Wrex," Shepard said pouring wine from the purple bottle. "You made it on the schedule. Don't set yourself back by expecting everything to be decided in one week."

"Some things must be decided, Shepard. If the krogan are not heard …"

"Wrex, be patient."

Joker drew out a loud sigh. "We gonna discuss politics and boring crap at this party, 'cause my invitation said drinks and fun."

Wrex's laugh boomed. As it ease down, he patted Joker on the back. Joker winced. "Joker - he is right. We talk later, Shepard. For now … drinks!" He raised his glass and took a long gulp. "Ahhh, there - drinks, now fun. Where is … oh, I see him."

He staggered a little as he crossed to Javik. He stood against the wall with a flat expression, but when he saw Wrex he gave what probably passed as a prothean smile.

"Those two talking together?" Joker whistled. "Bad recipe. Gives James's huarache a run for its money."

"Hey, where is James? Saw him outside. I need to talk to him."

"Over there," Joker said and pointed to the crowd in the living room.

They laughed at some story Garrus was telling. His voice was loud enough Shepard could almost follow the story from here. Her eyes moved to Wrex and Javik standing against the wall talking animatedly. Joker was probably right about the recipe. Shepard 's eyes slid further and fell on Liara standing in the corner by the open doorway, holding her elbows, and head hanging as she stared at the floor. Shepard cocked her head with a frown.

"Hell." Jack skipped up beside Joker. "Give me the hardest damn stuff you got!"

Joker frowned at her. "Uh, do I look like the bartender?"

Jack growled a string of curses. She rifled through the selection and pushed away each wine bottle with a snort. She stormed into the kitchen and threw open cupboard doors. The glasses clanked against her other, and she shifted around inside.

"Damnit," she snarled. "They something more than a dixie cup?"

Joker leaned forward on the bar. "Full bottles of wine here. Just take one."

"Wine!" Jack hissed and rolled her eyes.

Shepard sipped her wine. It tasted just like she remembered. She held it up with a smile and swirled it in the light. He still wasn't anywhere around Shepard could see. She strolled along the counter as Jack ducked under the kitchen sink. Joker strained further over the bar and offered unhelpful suggestions with a smirk. Shepard hoped he qualified for a verbal warning.

"Good hunting. I'm off," Shepard said.

Joker touched his baseball cap with a quick salute. Shepard passed into the crowded living room leaving slamming cupboards and profanity.

XXX

Shepard mingled with the crowd in the living room. She caught up with Traynor and Adams. Tali updated her on most recent news from Rannoch. Music pulsed through the open patio door. A grassy breeze made her draw in a deep breath and look around again.

"Lola."

Shepard turned. James stood on the outskirts of the group listening to another of Garrus's stories.

"James, hey." Shepard came over. "I wanted to talk to you."

"I'm here." He tapped the arm of the brunette next to him. She had quite the head of hair - voluminous and so dark it was almost black. She turned away from Garrus's story with a wide smile. James motioned with his glass at Shepard. "This is Commander Shepard."

"Uh, hi," Shepard said.

Shepard glanced at James's Cheshire cat grin then extended her hand to the woman. The woman's dark eyes crinkled with her smile, and she gave a firm shake. She was striking.

"Rebecca," she introduced herself.

"Rebecca?" Shepard paused. Her eyes flickered to James.

James winked. He grinned so broad Shepard could probably see his back molars. She turned her eyes back to Rebecca. She could see it now – the coloring, maybe even in the smile. A thought struck her, and she glanced down at her wine glass. The Alenko family wine.

"You're Kaidan's cousin," Shepard said.

"Uh … well, yes, I am." Rebecca grinned sideways at James. "I should just introduce myself as that. Leave the name for later."

"Nah," James chuckled. "More divertido this way. Fun to see them working it out as we're all talking."

"Even better still," Rebecca pointed her wine glass at him, "if we hadn't told anyone, imagine the tense silence when Kaid finally showed up. You looking like you just found out."

"Damnit," James laughed. "You shoulda said something earlier. You didn't tell Kaidan you were coming?"

Rebecca shook her head. "You?"

James's grin widened. "Nada."

Rebecca sipped from her glass. "More fun to come then."

James turned to Shepard. "She's magnifico, Lola."

"Aww," Rebecca said. "Probably says that about all the partier's cousins he brings as a plus one."

"Not at all," Shepard said, then grinned over at James. "Actually, he used 'brillante' for Garrus's cousin and 'muy caliente' for Wrex's."

Rebecca laughed and clinked glasses with Shepard. "Wrex's cousin and James? I like it. That is 'muy caliente,' James."

"Uh … right." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks for that image, Lola."

"It's totally hot." Rebecca smiled. "Gotta say though, kind of intimidated by the idea of a krogan ex-girlfriend. But what the hell, right? Danger can be sexy."

"Then you're going to love his cooking," Shepard said.

"Lola, gezz," James said. "Striking close to the heart there."

Shepard leaned in to Rebecca and lowered voice. "He's not going to introduce me to the next cousin he brings."

James shook his head and drained the last of his drink. Rebecca finished off her own glass then plucked the empty glass from his hand.

"I'll get your refill," she said. "Bet your krogan ex-girlfriend didn't do that for ya."

"Lola, you're right. No way you're getting introduced next time."

Shepard gave a lazy shrug and watched Rebecca cross to the kitchen. Joker greeted her while Jacob and Brynn shifted to make room as they picked through the wine bottles.

"She's great though." James grinned goofily. "Don't you think?"

"For the moment, right?" Shepard rounded to face him.

"Moment?" James mumbled and craned to see around her to the bar.

"That's what you live in, right? The moment."

"Oh. Oh, yeah." James focused back on Shepard and fired a shot at her with his hand. "Damn right, Lola."

Shepard finished the rest of her wine. James's eyes drifted over her shoulder again, and he grinned.

"Hey," Shepard said more seriously. "What are your plans going forward? I need a good XO."

His eyes flicked back to Shepard.

"Uh … yeah." He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. "Not that that's not a great offer or nothing, Lola, but Admiral Wilson's been talking to me. Might get my own command. I was hoping to talk to you about it. What'd ya think? It's a great gig and all … just, uh, you know? Maybe not for me. I'm not sure."

Shepard smiled despite the lump in her throat. "Take it. You'll be great, James. I mean it."

"Yeah?" James folded his arms. "I guess maybe … well, you know, get to thinking about things in the past, makes you not sure about being right for it."

"You're right for it. I'm not just saying that. That's what I told Admiral Wilson when he asked me about you. You're a damn fine soldier, and you'll make a damn fine CO."

"Thanks, Lola." James gave her a small smile. "I'll, uh, let you know how things fall and all. As for an XO, I know some guys from N7. Could pass you some names or something."

"Sure."

The crowd listening to Garrus had dispersed. Shepard's eyes shifted to the wicker patio furniture beyond the open door. Garrus now sat chatting with Liara. He waved his drink with a booming voice and laughed. The corners of her mouth lifted but her eyes looked empty as she listened with slumped shoulders.

"I'll talk to you later, James."

"Hast luego, Lola."

James moved to meet Rebecca partway as she returned with drinks. Shepard nodded at people and exchanged quick words as she made her way to the patio. Crisp spring air filled her lungs as she settled in the wickered loveseat next to Liara.

"Hey, guys," Shepard said.

"Hello, Shepard," Liara murmured.

Wine stagnated in Liara's glass on the table in front of them. It looked untouched.

"So, Shepard?" Garrus said across the table from them. "Having a good time?"

"Great, yeah." Shepard turned to Liara, who was staring at her wine glass with unfocused pupils. "Liara, it's been a little bit. How are things?"

Liara's turned dull eyes to Shepard. "Fine, Shepard."

"Everything … okay?"

Liara eyes dropped with a nod. She concentrated on her hands interlaced tightly in her lap. Garrus shifted in his chair and met Shepard's eyes with shrug. Shepard scooted to the edge the seat and set her empty glass down next to Liara's. She twisted to face Liara.

"So, uh, Liara … do you know Illora, Grunt's mate?" Shepard asked.

Liara shook her head.

"Grunt's pretty smitten," Garrus said.

"Krogan are ideal candidates as mates due to their longer lifespans," Liara said.

"So romantic," Garrus chuckled.

Liara looked up with a frown. "You wouldn't understand. Living so long is just that much longer to be without the ones we've lost. Only one of your own kind do you expect to know forever. It's the only relationship you count on to last a lifetime. You lose that …" Liara's face strained, and her hands pressed tightly into her skirt. She looked over at Garrus. "Choosing a krogan as a bondsmate would last that lifetime. So, it really is romantic despite sounding … clinical."

"Uh-hmm." Garrus glanced at Shepard before turning his attention back to Liara. "You look like you need a drink, Liara."

"I have one." Liara lifted the wineglass by the stem. Blue wine sloshed around the full glass as she set it back down.

"Okay," Garrus said. "Rephrasing. You look like you need to drink a drink, Liara. You seem a little … on edge."

"Liara." Shepard tried to catch her eye, but Liara stared straight ahead. "You're really all right?"

"I'm – I'm fine." She shot to her feet and snatched her wine glass off the table. "I'm going to introduce myself to Grunt's mate. Speak with you later, Shepard. Garrus."

Garrus returned Liara's nod as she passed. He took a long drink from his glass and shook his head.

"She is wound up," he muttered.

"Maybe." Shepard frowned at her retreating back.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Shepard perused the party's collection of wine bottles twisting them to face her. Voices and music boomed from the open patio doors across the living room. The party had mostly moved outside. Shepard's hand paused on a chardoney.

Tali's voice drew Shepard's eye to the living room. Kaidan was finally here. Tali motioned around the room. She led him to the nearest patio door. Wrex clogged the patio entrance in loud conversation with Jack, Javik, and Joker. Tali's voice was muffled under the music, but some words broke through. Apparently, it was a brief overview like Shepard had received minus Garrus's asides. Shepard poured chardoney into her glass. When she looked up Kaidan was watching her from across the room while still listening to Tali. A smile widened on his face, and Shepard raised her glass. Tali finished, he said something, and crossed the living room to Shepard.

"Shepard, hey."

"Come for a drink?" Shepard motioned to the selection and leaned back against the counter.

"Uh, sure, and to see you." He came around the bar to her. "You look nice."

"Likewise, Major."

He glanced at the cluster of drink options. "Feel kind of guilty here. There's a lot more deserving attention than picking out a drink."

"Yeah?" Shepard said. "I'm here, doesn't stop me from thinking."

"You're always thinking," Kaidan smiled. "What about recruitment, like we talked about?"

"I think you're right, we won't lack for volunteers."

Kaidan's eyes moved over the wine bottles. His brow furrowed, and he reached for the purple bottle.

"Drink this!" Shepard grabbed the nearest bottle of liquid and slammed it down in front of him.

He drew back with a quizzical smile. James had better appreciate her keeping his surprise under wraps.

"All right," Kaidan said.

"You'll love it."

Kaidan squinted at the label as Shepard grabbed an empty glass. Kaidan exhaled a burst of breath and snatched the bottle off the counter. He turned it to her with raised eyebrows.

"Krogan Ryncol, 190 proof. Straight?" he sputtered. "Hell, Shepard. What'd I do to you?"

Shepard paused with the empty glass in one hand. "Uh, well … you like a challenge."

She set the glass in front of him.

"Not that kind of challenge." He slid the bottle across the bar clinking into the others. "You need to work on your challenges, Shepard. Just a breath of that, I'd be flat on the floor."

Shepard shrugged and picked up her wine glass.

"What are you drinking?" he asked.

"Chardonnay."

"Hmm."

He eyed the wine bottles. His eyebrows started to pinch together again, and he reached out to the bottles.

"Try it." Shepard thrust her wine glass in front of his face.

Kaidan blinked at it and eyed her before reaching out and taking it. "Okay …"

James had better show up fast. She wasn't going to distract him all night. Kaidan took a sip.

"Well?" Shepard folded her arms darting a look over his shoulder.

James must be out dancing. Surely, he'd heard Kaidan had shown up.

"Well …" Kaidan stared down into the glass. "I wouldn't give it a ribbon."

"Fine." Shepard shrugged. "Snob."

"Me? I'm a snob?" Kaidan glanced back at the living room. "Garrus's windows up to your standards?"

"Size is good. Clarity … adequate. Offset from the sunset, shame. But yes, definitely in my league."

"The big window's league?"

"Sure. I, uh … this could go in a bad direction."

"Size comparisons?" Kaidan leaned against the counter next to her.

"A slippery slope," Shepard said.

"You know …" Kaidan laughed. "Uh …"

"What?" Shepard frowned.

Kaidan grinned over at her still holding her wine glass. "It reminded me. You wouldn't believe the ribald conversation I had with Liara. You'd be shocked. Probably pleased."

"What?" Shepard eyed him. "You're reading into it."

"Nope, definitely not."

"Ribald, huh?"

"Ribald."

"Hmm." Shepard shifted against the counter. "Trotting out the fancy words for the party?"

"That isn't how you impress people at parties?"

"No, it can definitely do that."

"You don't think it's being too … pretentious?" He paused. "That do anything for you?"

Shepard rolled her head to look at him. "So impressed, I'm breathless."

"Breathless? You mean … asphyxiating?" Kaidan's eyes widened dramatically then settled into a smile. "There. My kill shot."

"Death by vocabulary," Shepard mused.

"A bad way to go," Kaidan agreed.

"Definitely one of the more painful."

Kaidan laughed. He took a sip of the chardonnay. They leaned side by side against the counter. When the glass dropped back to his side, he rested his arm just grazing hers. It sent a shiver prickling up her spine, and she glanced over at him. If it was intentional, he wasn't showing it. He looked straight ahead as gooseflesh crawled up her arm.

"This sounds like something I should use in my interrogations," Kaidan said. Shepard blinked. They'd been talking about something – vocabulary, that was right. He looked over at her. "It's not cruel or unusual, right?"

Shepard swallowed and tried to refocus. She smiled at him.

"Have to be a pretty snarky suspect to deserve that sort of treatment."

"Well, of course, Shepard. I'm not a barbarian."

"You're better at being the good cop."

"What's the use of a good cop without a bad one?"

"I'm game," Shepard said.

Kaidan pursed his lips as if considering then shrugged. "It could work. They bring in the suspect, plenty snarky and deserving, I give a simple 'hi there.' But then you'd come in …"

Shepard smirked sideways at him. "Salutations?"

"And right there - he knows what's what."

"And straight off calls for his lawyer."

"Damn." Kaidan sighed. "Then I'd be out vocabularized."

"Not if you continue making words up."

"True. Enough confidence and the dictionaries all hidden …"

"We should be dragging Terra Firma agents in right now."

"Grab your coat."

The warmth against Shepard's arm lifted, and Kaidan took a long drink from the wine glass. Shepard frowned and reached for it.

"Nuhuh." He lifted it high on the opposite side. "You gave it to me."

"For a taste," Shepard said. "You didn't even like. No winning ribbon, remember?"

"It's growing on me." He stepped away, downed the last gulp, and held out the empty glass.

"Do your own dishes." She shoved it away.

"Seconds."

"Get your own."

"The whole time I've been here, you've been manning the bar. Thought maybe Garrus was letting you earn a few extra credits. I know you're always looking for opportunities."

"So, I'm Garrus's bartender?" Shepard looked at him flatly then finally shrugged. "Fine, Kaidan. You're cut off. Bartender's prerogative."

"Damnit. Never pick a fight with the bartender." Kaidan rounded the bar with a grin and faced her from the other side. "Lapse in judgement. Maybe I should be cut off."

"Lapse in judgement already?" Shepard clicked her tongue. "After only one glass of chardonnay."

Kaidan leaned forward on the bar and set the empty glass between them. "Put it that way, it does sound a little suspicious. Miranda taught me to never drink something that's been unattended. I didn't see you pour this."

"So, I roofied you?" Shepard lifted her eyebrows and leaned forward on the bar herself. "I drank from that glass too, you know."

"Not that I saw."

Shepard tapped the empty glass between them. "You wearing lipstick?"

Kaidan glanced at the lip marked rim then shrugged. "Maybe Garrus doesn't wash his glasses very well."

"Tali uses a straw, and Garrus doesn't have lips."

"Good point." Kaidan picked the glass up by the stem and looked at it in the light. "I'm starting to think you really did drink off my glass. Poor form, bartender. Garrus should have splurged on someone with references."

"I drank off your glass, and I roofied you?" Shepard said.

"And sassed me. But I kind of like that." He stood up from the counter with a smile.

"Flirt all you want, but I'm still the bartender and you're cut off, Kaidan."

"Your lips say that, but your eyes say 'try harder.'"

"You were having more luck with the vocabulary."

"Is it cheating to use my Omni-Tool as a thesaurus?"

Laughter echoed through the living room as a crowd bubbled through the patio door in the distance over Kaidan's shoulder. James laughed at something Garrus was saying then caught sight of the bar. He leaned into Rebecca and nodded their direction. Kaidan watched Shepard's eyes and started to turn.

"Kaidan."

He looked back at her. "Yeah?"

"I'm glad you came."

Kaidan smiled at with so much warmth it burned in her chest.

"I told you I would," he said. He moved the empty wine glass around by its base then looked up sharply. "Shepard, I—"

"L2!" James threw an arm around Kaidan's neck.

Kaidan flinched wide-eyed, and he frowned sideways at James.

"I should be cut off?" Kaidan said in a low voice to Shepard. James drew his arm away, and Kaidan turned to him. "Hi, James."

"L2, when you gonna join the party?"

Kaidan glanced around at the crowd condensing around them. "Looks like you brought the party …" Kaidan froze.

"Hey, Kaid."

"Becca?" Kaidan stared.

James stepped back and moved her forward with a touch on the elbow. Elbow, ha. Playing it safe, James? Shepard grinned and poured more chardonnay into the empty wine glass.

"Surprise," Rebecca said.

She held her glass to the side and hugged him with the other arm. Kaidan seemed to unfreeze. A big smile split his face, and he wrapped his arms around her. Cortez grinned like he was watching a Lifetime movie. The others started to talk again and moved to the drinks.

"It's good to see you," Kaidan said as Rebecca stepped back.

"Not weirded out?" Rebecca asked. "I was hoping for a little weirded out."

"Oh, no. I am."

"Was hoping for a gasp, L2, but I'll take eye bulging." James laughed and clinked glasses with Rebecca.

"Kept us waiting long enough," Traynor said passed to the bar.

Kaidan surveyed the crowd. "Didn't know I was the entertainment."

Bottles clinked as Miranda dug around in them. Kaidan's eyes fixed on the purple wine bottle then flashed to Shepard. He narrowed his eyes but smiled before turning back to James and Rebecca.

"Shepard." Garrus came up next to her. "Speech time."

"Isn't there supposed to be a vote? Nominations?"

"I'd vote for you," Miranda said.

"But it's Garrus's holiday. Tali's house."

"I knew this was coming." Tali sighed.

Traynor poured herself a drink. "Shepard, it has to be you."

"Agreed," Jacob said.

"What about Grunt?" Shepard asked. "That would be unexpected. Fun, right?"

No one looked swayed.

"Fine." Shepard set down her drink. "I suppose we do this outside?"

Tali lunged forward and grabbed Shepard's wrist. "Absolutely! You all know this is quarian property, not mine, right?"

They trickled outside. Kaidan, Rebecca, and James took up the end laughing over something. The hoop toss was still set up, and Shepard edged around it. She moved to the center of the lawn and faced everyone. Tali handed Shepard a pistol. Shepard flashed her a grateful smile. Stuffing a pistol in her dress had been an obvious no-go. Still hadn't stopped her from trialing it in front of the mirror for twenty minutes though.

The mix of familiar and new faces shuffled into position on the patio. Garrus checked through the crowd as people drew out their pistols. Joker waved a spare from Garrus. Everyone was here. Everyone she loved. Almost everyone. Liara lingered to the side by the stone wall. A full glass of wine dangled in her hand. She met Shepard's eye and gave a small smile.

"Okay, Shepard." Garrus hoisted a sniper rifle up from under the wicker couch. He plodded down the patio stairs.

"Rifle? Really, Garrus?"

"This is my holiday. You can shoot whatever they want."

Shepard just shook her head at him with an eye roll. The conversations died down, and Shepard straightened.

"I'm glad everyone turned up," Shepard raised her voice. "Garrus says this is a turien holiday about remembering comrades. Unfortunately, also a holiday requiring a speech."

"Then gunfire!" Jack yelled. "Hell, yeah!"

Shepard smirked. Her eyes moved over all the faces. "It's good to remember and be together. We're all going separate ways from here, but for tonight, we're together again. This time we're not charging into battle or storming a Cerberus base. We're appreciating the people who came out the other side with us. Remembering the ones that didn't. None of us would here without the person standing next to us or the ones only here in our hearts. Many I wish were here. Ash, Mordin, Legion, Thane, Anderson. Dr. Chakwas. Many more.

"We're the ones here now, on Earth, not the Reapers. And the Reapers aren't on Palaven or Thessia or Tuchanka or Rannoch or anywhere else. We had each other's backs. Pulled ourselves out of the fire. Would have died for each other. Almost did countless times. We won. Won a future. Won a peace. Won a time like now to be together again just happy and alive. I'm proud to have fought with you and even prouder to have you all as friends." Shepard drew out her pistol and raised her arm. Everyone followed suit. "To comradery … and hoping this isn't a shuttle route. Die for the cause!"

They fired. The sniper rifle's boom echoed long after the shot. The crowd clapped, and Shepard strode over to Garrus. She shoved the pistol back at him with a smile.

"Next year, it's your turn, Vakarian."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Shepard waved good bye to Jacob and Brynn as they left the party. The blazing chandelier light from inside turned them to silhouettes as they moved through the patio doorway.

"Already losing some of the rabble." James sighed. "Party's just starting. Little musica and ballamous, right, Lola?"

"Where's your date?"

"Huh? Oh …" James said. "Talking with Miranda, I think. Rebecca's, like, wicked smart."

"Yeah? Too bookish?" Shepard flopped down onto a wicker patio chair.

"Nah. Not like that." James grinned standing next to the arm. "More … uh …"

He glanced around them. Shepard watched him with a smile.

"Kaidan's over with Cortez and Joker."

"Oh, uh, yeah." James gave a light laugh. "Sure, sure. She's cool though. Pretty, uh … athletic figure, you know?"

Garrus rounded the patio chair next to Shepard and sat down with a thud. "When are you dancing, Shepard? Promised everyone a show."

"Ballamous, huh?" James grinned and set his drink on the table. "In that case, gotta find my date."

"Better tame down your better moves," Shepard said.

"I move with the music, Lola. Can't tame the Vega on the dance floor." He moved off.

Shepard chuckled and leaned against the arm of the chair. She rested the side of her face against her hand. Across the patio, Adams circled his hands around in the air with big eyes, apparently telling some tall tale. Cortez stood next to him with droopy eyes. Joker laughed before Adams paused for the punchline. From the hand gestures, it looked like the story of the duel coupling system that backed up over Ronan during the shuttle drop mission. Yeah, a good one.

Kaidan nodded with the story, but his head tipped to the side to see past Adams. The wine glass lowered in his hand, and his brow wrinkled into a deep line. Shepard followed his eyes. In the shadows at the end of the lawn, Liara stood rigidly holding her elbows and staring down at her feet. Her glass rested on a napkin on the garden wall next to her. Shepard's eyes flicked back to Kaidan. He touched Adam's shoulder and said something. He left his glass on top of a table and hurried down the stair. He strode across the grass to her.

"It's a good night, Shepard," Garrus sighed stretching his legs onto the table. "Good to see everyone back together one last time."

"Last time?" Shepard echoed with her eyes fixed on shadows at the end of the lawn.

"I'm sure everyone will see each other here and there. But the end of an era, isn't it, Shepard?"

"Uh," Shepard said darting a look at Garrus. "Right."

"What are you …" Garrus frowned and turned his head.

Kaidan touched Liara's arm, and her head snapped up. The wine glass nearly tipped over she snatched it up so fast and straightened. Kaidan shifted in front of her and said something.

Garrus leaned toward Shepard. "A surprise, that, right?"

"What?"

"Didn't see it coming." Garrus rested his arms on the chair's armrest. "But I guess that's how those things go."

"Liara and … Kaidan?" Shepard said. A rushing sound beat in her ears.

Garrus nodded. "A good thing, I think."

"Think so?" Shepard stared at Kaidan and Liara. Talking.

Garrus rolled his neck around with cracking sounds then sighed. "Kaidan's never been like us, Shepard. He doesn't just dust himself off and press on with that sort of stuff. He's been all mopey over you. Finally getting his act together though. This is good."

Shepard met Garrus's eyes and gave strain-lipped smile with a firm nod. Her eyes drifted back to the garden. Liara angled away from him with a hard look. The wine glass trembled in her hand. Kaidan grabbed it around the bowl and waited for Liara's fingers to fall away from the stem. Her hand fell to her side balling up the damp napkin and watching as Kaidan set the glass back on the stone wall.

The music volume rose and boomed across the grass. James drew Rebecca out into the middle of the lawn and beckoned people on the patio. Jack slammed a drink down on one of the tables and leaped off the patio. Others followed down the stairs. Garrus smiled broadly and looked pointedly between Shepard and the dancers. She rolled her eyes with an elaborate sigh. Her eyes wandered back to the shadows.

Kaidan watched the dancers grouping to the loud music then turned back to Liara. Her head was bowed with slumped shoulders. The napkin twisted in hands. He said something, but she didn't look up. Her hands twisted it over and over, faster and faster, until shaking. Kaidan clapped a hand over hers. He ducked his head and looked up into her face. Shepard's breath clenched in her chest.

Garrus shifted next to her. "Shepard … that bother you?"

"What?" Shepard whipped her head back to him. "That? Hell no."

Shepard snatched a wine glass off the table. Whether it was hers from earlier or someone else's she didn't even care. She took a long drink and lowered the glass with a smile. Garrus watched her for a moment then shrugged.

"Suppose it takes getting used to. Tali and I …" Garrus chuckled. "The faces alone were worth it."

"Kaidan and Liara aren't you and Tali, Garrus. It could be a, uh … fling or something."

Garrus choked out a laugh. Shepard tightened her grip on the wine glass.

"Right, right," he said.

"Why's that funny?"

"It's Alenko. It's Liara. You think either of them even know what a fling is? Damn, Shepard. Either you're trying to be funny or the drinks are catching up with you."

Shepard downed the rest wine and shot up. "You'll be pleased, Garrus. I'm going to dance."

She turned to the lawn, and her eyes focused on Liara brushing her fingertips under one eye. Kaidan inclined his head to the house. They followed the rock wall along the lawn and went through the far patio door. Shepard angled herself to watch them cross the living room. Kaidan's steps slowed as he entered the back hallway. Liara came up beside him, and he put a hand on her back just below the nape of the neck. They turned a corner out of sight.

She stumbled down the patio stairs kicking off her heels with each step. Fire burned through her veins as she shot across the grass into the movement and music. The base beat hard and fast, but the pulsing blaze in her chest outpaced it.

XXX

The party was winding down with the moon low in the distance. James was still going strong. Rebecca seemed an equally resilient partier. They moved in time with the music and laughed at something Jack was telling them. Tali looked on shaking her head as Garrus picked up empty glasses.

"Keelah," she exhaled.

"Turn off the lights and go to bed," Shepard said wobbling up the patio steps with heels dangling from her fingertips. "James's a party veteran. He knows what that means."

"Them too?" Tali pointed to Grunt sleeping face up in the lawn arms outstretched with a half-spilled beer mug in one hand. Illora stood nearby smiling at something Wrex said. He pointed at Grunt with a brewhahaing laugh, and Illora ducked her head covering a laugh behind her hand. Shepard gave a faint smile, setting down an empty glass, and dropping her shoes on the brick. She sloppily jammed her feet into them and teetered as she turned to the house.

Liara had already left hours ago. No 'good bye.' She just whispered something to Garrus and Tali before dashing out the door. It made Shepard's fingers curl tightly into her palms as she focused on crossing the living room.

Across the room, Kaidan leaned over the bar in conversation with Miranda, Joker, and Cortez. His head turned as she passed them to the hallway. She flashed a smile with a wave and picked up her pace with eyes on the entryway.

"Hey, Shepard." Kaidan's footsteps came up behind her in the hall.

Shepard closed her eyes briefly then turned. "What'd you need?"

Laughter and clanking bottles echoed from the kitchen.

"Have you talked to anyone?" Kaidan asked.

"I talked to everyone." Shepard waved expansively.

"Talked to about tomorrow?" Kaidan corrected.

"Not really," Shepard said. "Small teams though."

"Teams?"

"Teams." Shepard nodded. She pointed between them. "My team. Your team."

"Okay …" He shifted. "So … what's the plan? I'll take your point on this one, Shepard."

"Ah, like old times then." Shepard grabbed hold of the wall. Steady on. "Yes, so … you focus on the meeting. The private meeting. Meanwhile, I'll … I'll … Do you think it's hot in here?"

"What?" Kaidan frowned.

"Like … balmy?" Shepard leaned into the wall. "Anyway, well … It must be a turien thing, right? So hot? Anyway …"

"Anyway," Kaidan prodded.

"Anyway," Shepard said. "I, uh … I'll find the explosives. There you go. The plan."

"What about the meeting then the explosives? Keep our numbers together."

"The bombs are shipping out to the attack sites. Best chance of finding them is during the meeting. That's the plan."

Shepard pushed off from the wall and started down the hall toward the door. Kaidan trotted around in front of her.

"Do you need help home?"

Shepard stopped. "You have a shuttle?"

"Well, no. I'll call you one."

"Oh." Shepard frowned. "No, I can do that."

She pushed around him.

"What about who we're bringing?" Kaidan continued. "We should loop them in soon, right?"

"Uh, sure. Makes sense." Shepard punched the open button and walked out into the darkness and city air – a mixture of asphalt and ozone.

Kaidan followed her through the door. It closed behind them. Foliage hugged a gravel landing pad. A cement walkway in the distance probably lead through the rest of the embassy. The embassy's other buildings were vague shadows against the night sky. Shepard fumbled with her Omni-Tool. Damn screen. It never worked right.

"Why don't I just call you one, Shepard?" Kaidan came up beside her and turned on his Omni-Tool.

"If you insist." She swayed and put a hand out but the wall was further than she thought.

"Whoa." Kaidan grabbed her elbow.

She slid his hand off her arm. "Uh, thanks."

She concentrated on the wall and staggered a few steps to it. The orange glow of Kaidan's Omni-Tool went off. He faced her, arms folded, and watching her. She rested her weight against the wall and tapped her head back against the siding.

"What?" she said.

"I think the bartender should have cut herself off."

"There was a bartender?" Shepard frowned lifting her head off the wall then froze. She nodded. "Oh, yeah. Right. I remember."

Kaidan gave a crooked smile. "Yeah, okay."

He settled against the wall next to her. His arm brushed hers. She frowned over at him and tipped her upper body away with folding arms. Kaidan raised his eyebrows but smiled crookedly again.

"You okay?"

"I just feel hot."

"We're not even inside anymore."

"I know that! How far gone do you think I am?" Then added belatedly, "Kaidan."

Kaidan sighed. "Well, I want to talk to you more about the set up for tomorrow night, but … I think it will have to wait."

"What?" Shepard peered at him. "No, it's fine. The plan … people … Who do you want? Who do I want?"

"Works like that, huh?" Kaidan said. "Like picking gym teams?"

"Exactly." Shepard held up an index finger. "I go first."

"As always." Kaidan waved his hand out. "Go ahead."

"Garrus," Shepard said firmly and stared at Kaidan.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He smirked. "I'm not going to object. You get Garrus. Fine."

"Your turn."

"Okay … If I'm tracking Terra Firma's middle managment to their meeting, I'll need humans. I'll ask James and Miranda."

"What?" Shepard gaped. "That's two. You ever pick gym teams, Kaidan?"

"And you?" Kaidan continued. "If you're after the warheads, you need someone to disarm them. Bring Tali."

"You ruined the game, Kaidan."

"And bring Liara too. Someone to compliment your biotics."

Shepard straightened. "Liara?"

"I already talked to her. She'll come."

Shepard ground her shoulder into the wall as she twisted to face him. "Sure you want her complimenting _my_ biotics?"

Kaidan froze. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Shepard waited. He shifted against the wall.

"I need humans in my group. But I, uh, think you know that."

"Hmm." Shepard nodded. "We could switch objectives then. Swap teams."

Kaidan pushed off against the wall. "Uh, okay, Shepard. We can talk about this tomorrow."

Shepard's mouth tightened. "Uncomfortable, Kaidan?"

Kaidan put his hands on his hips and scuffed the gravel with his boot. "Something you're getting at, Shepard?"

"No," Shepard said. "Just noticed that you and Liara seem … close."

Kaidan shrugged. "Yes, we're close." He eyed her. "That really the question you're trying to ask me?"

Shepard held his eye. "No, I guess not."

"Look." He sighed. "I'm not ignorant of the rumors. I'm fine talking about it with you, Shepard. Just, another time, all right?"

Shepard's throat constricted. Then there was something to talk about. Shepard stepped away from the wall. The embassy walkways probably eventually connected with Alliance Headquarters. The walk wasn't an unreasonable distance.

"Shepard, wait. Your cab's coming."

"You can take it." She waved him off and crossed toward the walkway.

Kaidan came up behind her and hooked her elbow. "Listen, Shepard. We're not together."

Shepard spun on him wrenching her arm free. "I know we're not together, Kaidan!"

Kaidan's hand dropped. He stepped back. "Liara and I. Liara and I aren't together."

Gravel twisted her feet as she pivoted in thought. She snapped her head back to him.

"Something happened though?"

Kaidan hesitated.

"Yes," he said softly.

Shepard put her hands up and turned around. "I don't need to know anymore. It's your business."

His footsteps came up fast behind her, but he didn't try to touch her again.

"Shepard, listen. That implies something it isn't. I want to talk to you about this but not here, now. Everyone's around, and it's late."

"Just! Kaidan!" Shepard cut the air with her hand and looked over at him. "Leave me alone. I can get home on my own. I don't need your help here, now, and—after tomorrow night and the Summit—ever. Just leave me alone."

Kaidan's eyebrows slanted up. He stopped. Shepard shot ahead focused on the walkway. It wasn't lit and the trail darkened into the distance as she started down it. Kaidan's boots shifted in the gravel behind her, and she pushed ahead.

She stayed on the path until she was in the full darkness. She took the first corner rounding some faceless, gray embassy building. Split paths wound a webwork of cement buildings. Shepard charged ahead. Her foot caught the edge of the sideway and she tripped ahead a few steps. She didn't fall though and pressed on.

"Shepard!"

Shepard spun around to Miranda's voice. An Omni-Tool light bounded down the trail with the sound of labored breathing.

"Miranda?" Shepard held up a hand to block the light flashing over her.

"Shepard. Where are you going? This is absurd."

"I know where I'm going."

"I'm sure. Let's take a cab. It'll be easier."

"No." Shepard turned and continued ahead.

Maybe she should be using her Omni-Tool light too. Shepard flicked it on. Miranda gave a growling sigh, but her footsteps followed.

"Go back, Miranda, if—"

"Lead on, Shepard," Miranda said. "But I'm coming along."

"Fine." Shepard shrugged. "This way …"


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Kaidan held a laminated Terra Firma ID card up to the light and turned it over in his fingers. It looked right. He snapped it back down on the Spectre office's work table. He slid the real ID up next to it and twisted the lamp closer. They looked identical. He needed a magnifying glass though. He rifled through the cabinet drawers slamming them shut. Nothing.

He tore around the Alliance supply crates stacked in the center of the room. He ripped open the top desk drawer, dug around, and jammed it shut before moving down to the next. Time was running out for all of this. He should have gone with his gut and just skipped the party.

He found the magnifying glass in the bottom drawer under a box of thumb tacks and an old datapad. He checked the IDs under magnification. The Alliance Operations Department had pulled through on these, even with it being a rush job. Kaidan fingers moved down the row of IDs: James, Miranda, Shepard, and himself.

He stood back and gazed around the room. Assuming the Alliance requisition office hadn't mixed anything up, they had the thermal clips, armor, grenades, comms. The Turien Shield pins - he'd almost forgotten about them. He flicked aside the paperwork cluttering the desk and found them. Processed this morning. The Alliance Ops Department was making him grateful to be reinstated and accessing Alliance resources again.

Kaidan's Omni-Tool flashed with a messaged. The other Spectre offices stood dark and empty as he strode down the hall. He opened the entrance to the Spectre offices. Liara looked up from her Omni-Tool with wide eyes.

"Come in," he said and stood back from the door.

Liara peered down the hallway with a creased brow. Her eyes flickered back to him.

"Am I allowed in?"

Kaidan shrugged. "You're with me."

Liara slipped past him and craned her neck to see in the closest offices.

"You're alone?"

"The Summit's tomorrow," he said.

He passed by her and moved down the hallway. Light from his open office illuminated the patch of the corridor ahead.

"You look tired," Liara said.

"Here." He nodded to the open doorway.

She walked through the door hesitantly and stared around the room. Her eyes landed on the tower of crates in the center.

"Everything's prepared?" Liara asked.

Kaidan came around her and stopped at the desk. He grabbed the Turien Shield pins.

"I don't feel ready," he said. "I don't know what more to do though. Materially. Suppose there's still audio to comb through."

Liara strolled down the row of guns along the wall and up to the city map. Kaidan crossed to the workbench and examined the pins under the magnifying glass.

"You're not afraid I'll sell your secrets on the black market?" Liara asked.

"Go ahead," Kaidan smiled at her. "I already locked up all the really damning stuff. Threw up some red herrings too."

"Red herring? That's a fish?"

"False leads."

Kaidan turned the pins over under the magnifier. He leaned in closer to study the backs. Liara stopped over his desk and touched the papers.

"You must trust me now," she murmured.

Kaidan set down the last pin and turned to her. "I always trusted you. I had a migraine. Makes it so I don't think sometimes."

Liara squinted down at the top page on the desk. Her eyes widened and snapped up to meet his. "The Terminus System?"

Kaidan sighed and nodded. "Admiral Hackett talked to me a few days ago. Once the relay is back online, I'm going."

"There can't be relays active in the Terminus System yet? It's full of slavers and outlaws. The system's never worked together to accomplish anything."

"They're raiding, killing, destroying peripheral Council space," Kaidan said, "and we can get the relay near Orian working again. Enough system relays are under repaired to get us a good ways there."

"But still, that …" Liara's lips parted, and she looked down processing it. Her eyes came up sharply. "That will take years."

"Two years. That's what they project to get the relay near Orian Station operational. Even once the relay's working though, there'll be a lot to do - the slavery, the killing, the piracy Dwindling resources makes people desperate, and colony economies will need reestablished in the face of all that. If it's not for the Terminus colonies, then we're there for the edge of Council space."

"Why send a Spectre?"

"Why not? They need someone out there. I can do more good for the Council there than I could a lot of other places."

"You don't know that. You sound like you want to go."

"I'll go where they tell me. I'm not being asked."

Liara's eyes dropped to the floor, but she nodded. Kaidan put his hands behind his back and leaned against the wall.

"How're you doing?" he asked softly.

Liara clutched her elbows tightly. "I should have collected myself before I went. Or not have gone. I'm embarrassed now. I think everyone noticed."

"I'm really sorry, Liara."

"I know." She smiled at him and pulled out the desk chair. "I hoped she really had made it to Thessia. It was an unlikely hope, but I was starting to believe it was possible."

"After everything with Shepard, it makes any unlikely hope seem possible."

"You and your father were close before he …"

Kaidan's stomach clenched, and he swallowed. "Yeah."

Liara was silent a long time. When she spoke again, her voice was soft.

"She was my last immediate family member," Liara said and looked at him with big blue eyes. "I only recently got to know her, and now that she's gone. It feels like all I have is what's right now. But even this will be gone."

Kaidan took a deep breath. "A thousand years is a long time."

Liara tilted her head and studied him "Would you live a thousand years, if you could?".

Kaidan shifted against the wall considering it.

"Depends," he said finally. "If everyone I cared about could live that long, then maybe yes. But if not … I can imagine how you feel."

Liara nodded silently.

"But, Liara," Kaidan said, and she met his eyes, "you're going to meet a lot of people and do a lot of things. Good things. The galaxy will be better for it. And you'll always have people who care about you, even if they're not all there at the same time. Purpose and people that love you – that can last a thousand years."

The corners of Liara's lips twitched up. He felt a smile stretch his own lips.

"I'm not being glib," Kaidan said. "I actually do think that."

"I know."

Kaidan pulled his eyes away and straightened against the wall. His eyes moved over the weapons mounted on the wall opposite him.

"What about Shepard?" Liara asked. "She got home all right?"

"Yes." Kaidan gave a wan smile. "Miranda said Shepard knew exactly where she was going. Over ten kilometers. Right to the Alliance doorstep."

"She drinks better than I do," Liara said. "She probably still remembers everything."

"Remembered the teams we put together. Got an email from her this morning. So, I'm sure she does." Kaidan tromped across the room to the weapons. He yanked a random pistol from its holder and turned it back and forth in his hand.

"You said she wouldn't let you get her a cab?"

"Nope." He slammed the pistol back onto the mount. "Let's talk about something else."

"You're angry."

"No. Maybe?" He walked over to the ID's spread across the work table. "Frustrated, I guess. But let's talk about something else."

Liara rose from her seat and came beside him. "I'm glad I was invited to help with this."

"Of course," Kaidan said. "I know you're busy though. You don't have to jump in on this."

"It may be the last time," Liara said. "Of course, I'm coming. I'll be there for whatever happens at the Summit too."

Kaidan smiled sideways at her. "You're a good friend, Liara. Shepard's lucky to have you."

"I'm not doing this for Shepard." Liara met his eye then looked away quickly. "Or I am. But not just for her. I want to help both of you."

Kaidan snatched up the closest ID cards and focused on it. "Thanks."

"Kaidan …"

"Liara." He turned and faced her. "I'm sorry. I know it's been awkward between us. I never meant for … _that_ to happen."

"Maybe it happened for a reason."

She drew closer and searched his eyes. Standing so close, face-to-face, studying the blue facets of her eyes made the memory rise around him like a mist. His chest throbbed, and he stumbled back a step. He turned away sharply and moved to the pile of supply crates. The lid flew open to reveal pistol upgrades neatly sorted with thermal clips. He sank to his knees and glanced over his shoulder.

"Maybe you're right," he said. "I never would have discovered Terra Firma's plans."

Liara's eyes fell, and she nodded. "Right. That's what I meant."

He dug through the clips. It seemed like everything was here. He could inventory all day, and it would still be here. Liara's shadow fell over the crate.

"What can I do to help?"

His heart still beat in his ears as he stood. He flicked on his Omni-Tool.

"Interested in sorting information? I have a lot of audio. Maybe you can teach me something."

"I do have some experience sorting information." Liara gave a strained smile. "Where do we start?"

XXX

Kaidan shoved the supply crate into the back of the shuttle. Joker hobbled around the corner of the shuttle.

"So, I'm glad you and the commander keep thinking of me instead of Cortez on this stuff, but using a non-Alliance shuttle sucks. Total bitch."

"Well." Kaidan hopped out of the shuttle onto the HQ landing pad. "Unless you want to explain to a discipline board why we painted over the Alliance emblems on their shuttle …"

"We can paint it back."

"Not 'we.'" Kaidan grabbed another crate off the asphalt. "Only way that plan goes down, Joker, is if you starting saying 'I.'"

"That's not what Alliance training taught me. No 'I' in team, you know. Hey, why don't you use your biotics for that stuff? You guys really miss your chances to show us, mere mortals, up. Not that you're not already showing me up – I don't hear your bones breaking – but the other mortals, like James."

"Biotics drain you. It's better to save your biotic reserves. Exhaust yourself upfront doing something you could have done physically? You might end up in a bad spot."

Joker shrugged and looked around at all the gear. "This all Alliance stuff? 'Cause this shuttle's no way near Alliance quality. Gotta haul - what? - eight people _and_ all that stuff."

"Joker," Kaidan hopped out of the shuttle again. "It will fit."

"Fit? Yeah. Fit well? No. Big difference when it comes to the propulsion drives. You try to overclock the –"

"No overclocking." Kaidan exhaled loudly.

"Well, okay, sure, Kaidan. Since you know so much about being a pilot, I'm happy to let you micromanage me."

Kaidan checked the pistol on his waist belt. "I've been a pilot."

"Oh, yeah, that's right. The second-best pilot in the Alliance - Major Kaidan Alenko."

"All right." Kaidan walked away.

Footsteps tapped onto the strip of landing pad. The door to HQ closed behind her. Shepard wore her N7 armor with the helmet tucked under her arm. She had to have a hell of hangover. Despite the dark circles, her eyes gleamed resting on the shuttle.

"Shepard," Kaidan said and moved across the landing pad to her.

"All right." She paused and glanced around. "Joker's here. Where are the rest?"

"It's only a little past noon."

"I messaged them."

Kaidan shrugged. "I'm sure they're on their way then."

"Hope so. We have a lot to go over." She pivoted and drummed her fingers on the helmet under her arm. "You have everything?"

"For the most part."

Shepard frowned. "For the most part? Or do you have everything?"

"I have everything."

"Good."

Shepard strode past him toward the shuttle. Kaidan fell in behind her. Her steps slowed, and she glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Hey. I had too much to drink last night. Sure you figured that out. Anway, I didn't know what I was saying. So let's just move on. Keep our eyes on what's important."

"I wouldn't do anything else, Shepard."

"I know." Shepard stopped short. "Just touching base. I want to keep things comfortable. And, we have a job to do."

"Understood." Kaidan's jaw tightened. "I agree."

"Then let's go."

Kaidan clenched his hands and followed behind her to the shuttle.

"Hey, Joker. Let's go over some stuff," she said.

Kaidan wandered to the end of the shuttle and mashed a button on his Omni-Tool. A holographic map of the theater and surround area popped up. He forced his breathing to slow and glanced sideways at Shepard. She leaned over a datapad with Joker. Her questioning him last night on a personal level had hurt enough, but he'd never given her reason to doubt his professionalism. No matter their private ups and downs, that part – his character, their work as soldiers – that had always been safe. She knew him better than anyone did. At least, he'd thought so. Maybe he just wanted her to. He cut his eyes back to the map. It had gone dark. She didn't need his help after this or want him around, then fine. More than fine actually. His teeth clenched as heat flushed in his face, and he punched the map up again. The sooner the whole damn thing with the Summit was wrapped up the better.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

One by one they assembled. Kaidan followed the crowd into a HQ conference room just off the landing pad. The shuttle peeked through the slots of the window blinds as everyone found a seat. Shepard moved to the front of the room.

"Okay," Shepard said.

James stopped mid-story with Garrus. Heads turned to her.

"This is how it's going down. Kaidan has James and Miranda. You'll infiltrate the Summit meeting posing as Terra Firma members. Kaidan has ID cards, and you'll be in street clothes. The meeting will be big, and they're planning a backroom sit-down somewhere between the cell leaders. From the audio we've pulled, Terra Firma's head leaders will be sending a representative to go over the Scorpion's orders. Listen in, we should discover the target locations for the attack. If we can, we'll track the representative from the meeting. We need to find the men pulling the strings. Maybe we'll find the Scorpion. Kaidan has the known cell leaders' bios. Key in on them at the general meeting. They'll lead us to the backroom meeting. That's Kaidan's team."

Shepard nodded in Kaidan's direction where he stood against the wall. She looked back at the seated faces.

"Garrus, Liara, Tali - you're with me. We have three missing warheads. One's nuclear, big enough to destroy the entire city all the way down past Bellevue. Kill millions. The other two are incendiary, still capable of a lot of damage."

Garrus cleared his throat. "Why have all of them? If the nuke will take out the entire city …"

Shepard shook her head with a sigh. "I don't know. I've thought the same thing. We only know Terra Firma's bringing them in and plans to use them. The warheads will be somewhere around the theater. Spectre intel says the warheads should be arriving anytime. After the meeting, the warheads will be moved out to the attack sites. But we'll have found and disarm them first. Inert, the time can tick down, but nothing's going to happen. Get in, get out, and be quiet about it, if we can. If we can't …" Shepard turned to Kaidan. He tossed her a Turien Shield's pin.

She held it up pinched between her fingers. "If we can't be quiet, we're leaving a few of these. Obviously, we don't look turien if we're seen, and the Shields aren't usually dumb enough to drop their membership pins. But there are rumors of the Shield trying to recover the warheads. That's on our side, and Terra Firma will be down to hours before their attack to work this stuff out. Let's just not leave any witnesses behind to refute the Shields being behind any commotion we may cause. We don't want to alarm them and have any plans change. When the Scorpion exposes himself on stage tomorrow, we'll shut down the whole attack. We'll take the Scorpion, the leaders, the moles, the whole cast and crew in one swoop."

James frowned and sat forward in his chair. "You got an army or something for taking down these attack sites in the city?"

"We knock this out of the park - prove the bombs are here and this attack is going down – we'll approach Council. We're getting our little army, even if it's only C-Sec and some Spectres."

"Can't we just take 'em out tonight?" Joker asked. "One and done."

"We cause a ruckus at this gathering, the attack may get altered or postponed. The Scorpion won't expose himself on stage if the attack isn't still planned."

"Either way," Shepard said. "My team will find the bombs, diffuse them, and sneak out. Kaidan's team follows the leaders to the meeting, gets the information, and we use a tracer bug with audio/visual to follow the representative back to the real leaders. They attack tomorrow. We stop the Scropion on stage. Whatever the council can spare will be at the target attack points to mop up the Terra Firma agents huddled around the inert bombs."

"What's the geography?" Tali asked.

"Joker's dropping us off deep in the condemned part of Vancouver. We'll make our way to the theater from that direction. The theater area is roughly two city blocks and has some electrical availability. Power seemed to be coming up in the restored buildings around the theater. The Vancouver Transportation Department's old tower is close by and looked occupied. The underground mass effect transit line had people coming in and out from the station near the theater."

"The transit line?" Tali said. "The city's ME trains are back up. We're not going down there, right? Those rails …"

"We don't know if the rails are live in this section of the city," Shepard said. "Terra Firma may be using the underground terminal for something else or walking the dead rails to covertly access the transport tower at the end of the line."

"Hope so," James said. "You know, those rails and even the underside of the train vaporizes people. No body. Just gone."

"We all know that." Shepard sighed. "If the rail's live, no one's getting near it. Obviously. Also, if you're needing told, don't stare into your gun barrel or play with the ring on a grenade. If you find scissors, don't run with them. We're covered now? Kaidan?"

She looked expectantly at him. Kaidan held up the ID cards.

"Terra Firma members carry IDs with different clearances. We all have the passphrases. Tali, Garrus, Liara – you can try passing yourselves off as mers if it really comes to it. Though, for you, Tali …"

She shrugged. "It's fine."

"Not many turien mercs around either," Garrus said. "But I'll only be seeing Terra Firma through the crosshairs anyway."

Kaidan walked up beside Shepard and continued. They only had a few hours before dusk. Plan could never cover everything. Maybe that was part of the thrill though.

XXX

Joker set the shuttle down on the street surrounded by dark, crumbling skyscrapers. Shepard leaped out. Her boots crunched onto the broken asphalt. She darted to cover behind a fallen-in wall of twisted steel and cement. Garrus scuttled up behind her. He grinned at her and tapped the sniper rifle strapped on his back.

"If I don't get the chance to fire this at least once, Shepard, I'm going to be very disappointed."

"Really hoping it doesn't come to that, Garrus."

"With you, Shepard, it always does. That's why I packed my spare clips."

Liara and Tali hunched on her other side. Kaidan stood next to the shuttle. A holographic map glowed on his Omni-Tool as he whispered to Miranda and James.

"Kaidan." Shepard waved him over.

Miranda and James flanked him as he approached.

"Commander?"

"Everyone's comm is working?" Shepard asked.

Kaidan glanced at Miranda and James who nodded.

"Good," Shepard said. "I'm going to check out the surrounding buildings, see if we can get a lead on where they're storing stuff. Head to the theater. Seems unlikely they'd be keeping the explosives in the theater. Still, if you see any signs ..."

"I'll let you know," Kaidan said and turned to Miranda and James. "Let's go."

Miranda and James darted to the cement wall leading down to the main street. Shepard stood up as Kaidan rushed after them.

"Hey, Kaidan." She kept her voice low.

He paused next to the wall and turned. Shepard came over.

"Hey," Shepard whispered. "Something goes wrong in there - you get tagged - comm me. You don't have armor, rifles, and there's less of you. That party's gonna be big. So, you comm me. Understood?"

"Understood. If it can't be contained, I'll comm you."

"No, don't wait for it to break containment. By that point, it's too late."

Kaidan held her eyes then nodded. "You're lead on this. I'll do what you say, but you have to trust my judgement. Let me gauge the situation. I'll know when to call you, Commander."

"All right." Shepard agreed. "But any big decisions come up, we need to be on the same page."

"I will comm you."

"Good luck, Kaidan." Shepard nodded.

"Stay safe, Commander."

He gave a sharp nod and darted back along the wall. He passed Miranda and James, and they fell in behind him. Shepard watched their shadows dwindle down the road before backing up. She turned to her team.

"Let's move out."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"A lot of activity down at the train terminal," Shepard said hunched next to a mound of rubble that used to be the bottom floor of an apartment building.

In the distance, the theater stirred with people filling through the front doors. There was activity in the streets, the parking lot, surrounding building, everywhere really. Terra Firma members streamed steadily from the ME subway entrance.

"We'll start there." Shepard pointed at the station's entrance beyond the theater's parking lot. "Tali, you have the map?"

A holographic map jumped up from Tali's Omni-Tool. She zoomed in on their section of the street. Shepard leaned in closer and moved the hologram up and down. With a frown, she sat back on her haunches.

"Any other way than through the front door?"

Tali studied the map. "There are maintenance access points on the rail line. One of them is just outside the theater, and that skyscraper - the Vancouver Transportation Department - it has access to the end of the rail. There's an underground boarding platform like the station."

"That building's swarming," Shepard said, "and the rail might be active. Those bombs need transportation out. If the trains are working in this part of the city, my guess is that's how they plan to do it."

"Shepard, look." Liara peeked over the broken wall.

Shepard keep her head low and looked over the edge. Four armored men with rifles strapped to their backs struggled up the station's stairs under the weight of a metal shipping container. Another crate with more armored men followed behind it.

Garrus settled in beside Shepard and hissed. "Bet that's not catering."

"Not a lot of caterers dress in armor," Shepard agreed.

"These men seem well equipped for a band of terrorists," Liara said.

"They must have quite the sponsors," Garrus said. "That's a Tsunami line class IV assault rifle. They're wearing a mix up of armor and weapons, but that solid gear."

"There's more of them coming. Armed," Liara said.

Shepard ducked down and shuffled over to Tali. "Any other way? If they're bringing up weapon containers, the rail's got to be live. We not coming in along the rail. We need directly into the terminal."

"Even on Palaven, we never used mass effect rails," Garrus muttered.

"Here, Shepard." Tali zoomed in on the map. "The terminal shares a drainage system with the theater."

"Where?" Shepard said looking over the map.

Tali pointed. "The train terminal has a large storage section for storing train cars. It butts up against the theater basement. See here. They share drain lines.

"So …"

"If we can get here," Tali pointed to an area on the street, "we can get into the drain through the manhole. Could be a problem though."

"What?" Shepard pressed.

Tali shook her head. "This section of the city has intermittent power. The drain systems are probably flooded."

"So … we can't get into them?" Shepard said.

"We need to flush them. Manual switch."

"You can do that?"

"From the train terminal."

Shepard frowned. "That's why we're using the drain. What else?"

"The theater."

Shepard shuffled back against the wall and turned to Liara and Garrus.

"Either of you seen Kaidan go in?"

"Yes," Liara said. "They got in."

"Good." Shepard peeked over the wall then looked back at Tali. "Where's that manhole, Tali?"

Tali shuffled over and popped her head up.

"There."

Shepard squinted. It was just off the side street. Armed guards strolled by in the distance.

"Kind of out in the open, isn't it?" Shepard said. "But it will have to work."

She crouched down and touched the comm in her ear.

XXX

"Kaidan," Shepard's voice said.

Kaidan touched his ear piece. People bumped against him as the jostled toward the theater's auditorium. James and Miranda squeezed against him in the swarm. Armed men stood along the wall scanning the crowd. One narrowed his eyes at Kaidan. Kaidan dropped his hand from his ear and glanced at James and Miranda.

"You heard that?" Kaidan murmured.

James nodded looking around. "Yep."

"All channel comm," Miranda said.

Kaidan glanced back at the theater's street entrance. A group of armed sentries stood on the top steps. They waved through the stream of Terra Firma members pointing at each member's ID card and nodding in acknowledgement. They'd been luck so far and gotten through. That wasn't what troubled him. It was the random people pulled aside at the entrance for further scrutiny. Two armored men signaled for their IDs and examined them under a blue Omni-Tool light. The Alliance Operations Department probably hadn't known about that, whatever it was the guards were seeing under that light. Kaidan hadn't known about it. His ID card dug into his palm as he turned back to the approaching auditorium doors.

It was more people than he'd thought. Hundreds of people swarmed the auditorium in civilian attire. Armored men with assault weapons lined the walls and patrolled just about every direction Kaidan looked. He scanned over faces as they wedged through the auditorium door. He didn't see any of the cell leaders so far.

The roar of voices and waves of people shoving different directions consumed them as the crowd spilled into the auditorium. It was standing room only at this point. People filled all the chairs, aisles, and even along most of the wall.

"There." Kaidan said to Miranda and James and nodded to a corner in the back.

Open doorways spotted the auditorium's back wall. Guards stood at regular intervals between the arches and scrutinized the passerbys. Kaidan glimpsed a crowded gallery with staircases presumably leading up to the balconies. Kaidan skimmed along the auditorium's back wall until they reached the corner he'd nodded toward.

A boy dressed in armor stood at attention at the gallery door next to them. It was the same boy who'd come on stage to talk about the worked-up dogs. The boy licked his lips, eyes darted around the crowd, and finger quivering on the rifle's trigger. Kaidan angled himself to keep the boy in his periphery as they settled their backs against the wall.

James elbowed Kaidan and nodded at a man watching a news vid on his datapad. He and Shepard glowed on the screen. They stood on the Council room floor. It was from a few days ago. He watched as he raised a hand to block the camera flashes. Kaidan glanced at the guards nearby. None seemed to be paying attention to the man's screen. He pressed further back into the shadows along the wall.

Kaidan rubbed the side of his face and pressed a finger against his ear. "It's Kaidan."

"Kaidan? I've been trying to get you. Good." It was Shepard's voice. "I need you to do something."

Kaidan listened still scanning his eyes over the growing crowd. He followed Miranda's eyes to the auditorium's entrance. Four armored men parted the crowd carrying a metal box and moving toward the stage. A whole line of armored men struggling under metal boxed followed the first. Actually, now that Kaidan was noticing, there were similar crates already lining the edge of the stage. Shepard's voice ended, and Kaidan touched his ear.

"Aye, aye."

He dropped his hand. James and Miranda's attention was riveted on the metal crates.

"Hey." Kaidan got their attention. "I'm going to the theater basement."

A man on stage threw open the top of a crate and hoisted up an assault rifle. The crowd whooped. A sticky weight grew in Kaidan's throat, but he turned away to face James and Miranda.

"You remember the faces we need to find?" Kaidan whispered.

The armed boy glanced over at them with a darkening frown. Kaidan snapped his attention back to the stage and clapped. James cupped hands around his mouth and hooted.

"Yeah," James said taking a breath between cheers.

Miranda clapped laggardly with a heavy sigh.

"I haven't seen anyone yet," she said.

"Keep looking, and don't use those ID cards. They're fine to flash in a crowd, but they won't stand up to inspection. I'm going to the basement," Kaidan said.

"Shouldn't we stay together, sir?" James asked.

"Stay up here. If you see a mark, stay on him. I'll be back."

A group on stage opened another crate and lifted a helmet, pair of gauntlets, a chest pieces, and more rifles. The muscles in Kaidan's jaw flexed. He slid along wall bumping against cheering bodies. A woman's Omni-Tool screen flickered off to the side. More news footage of that council meeting. Damnit. Kaidan ducked his head and pushed on. The boy guard eyed Kaidan but didn't say anything as Kaidan slipped through the archway into the back gallery.

Staircases teemed with people shoving their way up to the balconies. He'd had no idea Terra Firma had this many members in town. People swelled around him straining to glimpse the stage through gallery archways. Kaidan shifted through the crowd toward the far end of the gallery. The hallway behind the last staircase should have a service entrance to the basement.

James's voice crackled in his ear. "Major, you might be getting company. The one guard watching us caught a glimpse of that vid. He's looking around."

Kaidan cursed and picked up his pace. He pushed through a knot of people suddenly bursting into cheers. Kaidan glimpsed men tossing rifles from the stage into the spread hands of the crowd. Two guards along the gallery wall eyed him.

James's voice came again. "He's coming your way."

"I'll get his attention," Miranda said.

"No." Kaidan touched his ear, ducking his head, and turning into the crowd. "Just watch for the targets."

James's voice hesitated.

"Yes, sir," he said.

Miranda said nothing.

The guard against the wall with dreadlocks turned to the other one. He motioned at Kaidan with a frown. Loitering in the gallery when everyone else was pushing up the stairs or straining to see the auditorium's stage must look suspicious. Kaidan needed a reason to be lingering then. He waved at the crowd around the last staircase as if finally finding someone he was looking for. Dreadlocks stopped what looked like mid-sentence with the bearded guard next to him. He watched Kaidan go and squinted down the hall at the crowd by the staircase. Finally, he shook his head with a shrug resuming his stance against the wall.

Kaidan neared the last staircase and stopped short. A lone guard stationed at the foot of the stairs swiveled a helmet to Kaidan. She hefted an assault rifle in her hands. Kaidan moved into the crowd huddled around the auditorium's archway. A new voice boomed over the mic on stage. It sounded like greets and introductions. Kaidan's earpiece crackled. He darted a glance back at the helmeted guard. She held her rifle in tight and surveyed the crowd going up the stairs.

"What's going on?" Kaidan whispered touching his ear.

"I see one of your guys," James said. "Vince Tobin. He's giving some welcome speech on stage. I'll move up closer, see if I can tail him when he comes down."

"Miranda?" Kaidan said.

"What?"

"Stay together. If you see someone else to follow, let me know."

"Fine."

Kaidan's mouth tightened, but he dropped his hand without saying anything more. The helmeted guard shifted on her feet and tapped her fingers on the butt of the rifle. There was no way around her to that hallway. The two guards down the hall were certainly close enough to hear a commotion, not to mention what the crowd would see. Kaidan sighed then drew in a deep breath. His squared his shoulders and stepped out of the crowd. He strode toward the hallway behind the stairs. The guard whipped around to face him as he passed her.

"You need help?" she said sharply.

"No." Kaidan held up a hand and continued forward. "Continue on. Keep up the good work."

The rifle lowered in her hands. "What? Who're you?"

She rushed forward and stepped into his pathway. Kaidan stopped with a frown and glared at her.

"I work with Joseph Tobin." It was the only cell leader he knew for sure was there. "I'm going to the basement."

"Why?"

"You're a sentry. I'm Tobin's second hand. You don't need to know that."

He tried to step around her, but she put her arm out.

"I'll need more than just your assertion you're work for Tobin."

Kaidan's mind reeled searching through the passphrases. Color, spider, numbers – he'd memorized them, but it was different standing here under the guard's narrowing eyes. Tobin's cell passphrase used the color red. That was the only thing he knew for certain.

"Fine," he snapped and said in a rush, "Red widow seven ten five nine delta six."

The guard punched up her Omni-Tool, and Kaidan folded his arms with a pointed sigh. Her eyes darted up at him periodically as she scrolled through a screen glowing with lines of text. Kaidan slowed his breathing. Folded under his arms, his fingertips grazed the top of his belt. His pistol wedged into his hip as he waited. She looked up.

"All right. That's from last week though. Let me see your—"

"I've waited long enough." He pushed past her. "Tobin told me to get this done fast."

He turned around the corner into the hallway before she could stop him. At the far end of the unlit hallway stood a metal door. Kaidan pressed forward down the hall as footsteps stopped at the corner of the hallway.

"Stop!"

Kaidan paused with a sigh and turned.

"Hey, Larson, Conner. Here." She waved at someone.

The gallery's lights washed out her face as she faced him at the mouth of the hallway. She was still visible to the crowd probably. Kaidan waited as two guard skidded up behind her. It was Dreadlocks and his bearded sidekick.

"This guy again?" the sidekick said.

"Where's your ID card?" the woman asked Kaidan.

Kaidan pulled the ID card from a pocket and held it at arm's length. The female guard put a hand on her hip and cocked her helmet at him. Dreadlocks moved around her.

"I've got it."

His friend, bucked teeth peeking out from his beard, shuffled forward a couple of steps and raised his rifle at Kaidan.

"Make it quick," Kaidan snapped waving the card in his hands.

"Just covering our bases, sir," Dreadlocks said.

The female guard motioned Buck Teeth to follow Dreadlocks. She hoisted her rifle up against her shoulder and looked down the barrel as she edged closer into the hall. A shadow fell across her face, and Kaidan released the tight breath in his chest. With those rifles aimed on him, he couldn't move unexpectedly. If they expected him to move though, it could buy a few seconds of response time.

"Any time," Kaidan said.

"You could have met us partway," Dreadlocks said with a few steps left.

He looked down at his Omni-Tool and flicked on the blue light.

"Fine," Kaidan sighed and stepped forward.

Dreadlock's head snapped up, eyes wide, as Kaidan backhanded him into the wall. Kaidan glowed shooting a hand out at the woman and yanking her forward. His Omni-Tool flared on the other hand, and Buck Tooth's rifle clattered to the floor as his eyes crystalized with frost. The female guard streaked past. Kaidan smashed into the basement door with a crunch. Dreadlocks gasped staggering upright against the wall. He raised his rifle mouth opening. Kaidan grabbed his throat and slammed him against the wall. The rifle clattered to the floorboards from his shocked fingertips. A blue flash of energy and his neck snapped under Kaidan fingers. Dreadlocks dropped limply as Kaidan whirling on Buck Tooth, the white cast draining away from his eyes. The eyelashes blinked, mouth starting to move. Kaidan drove him against the wall over Dreadlocks's still form. The ice across his skin cracked. Kaidan drove him against the wall again, and he shattered. Kaidan deflected a spray of ice shards with a wave of biotics and stumbled back panting. Floorboards creaked down the hall at the mouth of the hallway. Kaidan whipped his head around. That boy.

"Alert! Ale—"

Kaidan tore him off his feet, flailing, rifle dropping, and whipped him down the hall in a streak of light at the basement door. Blood rushed in his ears, and Kaidan pulled back with a fist. The boy jolted to a stop a breath from the basement door. He sucked at the air hanging suspended. Kaidan raced down. As the boy's jaw opened, and Kaidan slapped a hand over his mouth and shoved him against the wall. Blue faded off Kaidan's skin.

"Shut up," Kaidan whispered.

The boy struggled against Kaidan's fingers trying to open his mouth. Kaidan pulled him forward and slammed his head against the wall in emphasis. The boy blinked, eyes unfocused, hot breath burning across the back of Kaidan's hand. Hot blood trickled from his nose and pooling along the side of Kaidan's finger running over his knuckles. Kaidan pressed a pistol into the boy's temple and stared down the hall at the gallery light. He listened. Footsteps. More than one person.

The woman's crumpled body at the bottom of the basement door moved with a gurgle. Kaidan flashed blue flicking a hand at her. She hissed and gasped as the reave hit her. Her limbs went limp, and she lay silent. Footsteps closed in on the hallway. Kaidan leaned his face close into the boy's.

"Don't make me kill you. Yell back everything's okay."

Kaidan stared him hard in the eye then lifted his hand off the boy's mouth. The pistol's barrel dug deeper into the boy's temple as the boy gasped for breath. Boots pounded closer. The boy's eyes flashed with fire.

"Hel—"

Kaidan smacked the butt of the pistol into the boy's forehead. The boy caught at the wall sucking at air and still trying to scream. Kaidan hit him again. The boy slipped down the wall in a blood streak and slumped against the floor.

Armored steps slowed nearing the staircase. Kaidan dashed to the mouth of the hallway and hugged against the wall. His Omni-blade glowing in the darkness as his feet edged up to the bright band of light from the gallery.

A rifle spun around the corner. Kaidan grabbed it with one hand and starfished a palm over the man's mouth. A blue flash and his neck popped as Kaidan dragged him into the dark. Another rifle swung around the corner and aimed before Kaidan could react. The guard flashed blue and flew past Kaidan down the hallway. Kaidan stumbled back, energy shining off his skin, and shot a hand out ready. A shadow turning the corner. It was Miranda.

The corona faded from Kaidan's skin as Miranda rushed past him to the man she'd thrown down the hall. He struggled trying to rise to his feet. Miranda kicked him in the face and crunched his neck under her boot heel. Kaidan stared at her.

"You're welcome," she panted.

Kaidan stepped over the rifleman he'd killed and peeked around the corner of the hall. The crowd had cleared out significantly. The stairs were empty. Some curious looks turned his direction from the mass huddled around the auditorium archway doors. They were only vaguely curious looks though. The blaring voices on stage and whispered conversations of hundreds of people must have insulated the noise. Kaidan turned away.

"Did they see you use your biotics?" Kadian asked.

"It's bright out there and it was only a quick burst," Miranda said. She shook her head with a hiss though and gave him a hard look. "You're loud. I followed these guards, but they'll be more once these others don't check in." Miranda gazed around them in the dark. "Three, four … how many are here?" She glared at him. "They'll definitely miss this many."

Kaidan drug a hand down his face with a growl. "I know. Help me drag these ones down."

Miranda grabbed the man's feet below her. Kaidan grabbed the another's ankles.

"Where's James?" Kaidan said.

"Following your man. Tobin left the stage, went upstairs. I heard the commotion over here."

They dragged the bodies to the basement door. Last body dropped, Kaidan smacked the open button for the basement door. Nothing happened. Kaidan cursed and tore off the panel beside the door as his Omni-Tool flicked on. A voice moaned behind him. Sounded like the boy. Blue light glimmered on the metal door in front of Kaidan. His pulse spike, and he swung around with a raised hand. Blue flashed over the boy with a booming clapback. Miranda staggered back a step. An aftershock shivered over them, and Kaidan stood.

"What …? Did you just block me?" Miranda's lips drew back as she turned to him.

Kaidan bent and checked the boy's pulse. He was alive. His fingers twitched, moaning again as Kaidan stood up. The boy was waking up. Fingernails dug into Kaidan's bicep, and Miranda twisted him around.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Trust me," Kaidan snapped and unclawed her fingers.

He shoved her hand back and tore bandages out of his pocket. He bent over the boy.

"You're giving him first aid?" Miranda grabbed Kaidan's shoulder.

"Stop!" He flicked her hand off. "I'm making a gag." He pointed to the basement door's control panel. "Get that open."

"I'm not a tech. Won't be fast," Miranda snorted but scurried down next to the panel. Her Omni-Tool brightened the hall with orange light. She shot him a glare over her shoulder. "This is insane, Kaidan."

Kaidan finished the gag. The boy's eyelids quivered but didn't open. Kaidan folded out a pair of biotic handcuffs stuffed in a back pocket. The boy wasn't a biotic, but it worked on anyone with hands. Kaidan secured the cuffs and flopped the boy onto his stomach.

Sparks sprayed out of the control panel, and Miranda muttered. Kaidan shoved in beside her with his own Omni-Tool up. Miranda got to her feet.

"So … what?" she said gesturing at the boy. "We're taking prisoners, Kaidan? Tell me. How's that going to work?"

"Just stop." Kaidan held up a hand and gave her a pointed glare before turning back to the panel. "Trust me."

The door activated. Kaidan jumped to his feet. Miranda paced down the hall, listened, and wandered back. There wasn't any fire in her steps. There must still only be the drone of the microphone and baseline murmur of a crowd.

"James?" Kaidan touched his earpiece.

Miranda grabbed a body by the shoulder and dragged him through the open doorway. Armored heels thumped down the basement stairs to the bottom before she tore up the stairs for the next.

"Kaidan," James said. "Hey. I followed Tobin. But, uh … kinda bad news."

"What do you mean?" Kaidan massaged his temple. He'd have a hell of a migraine in a few hours. "James?"

"Yeah … So, uh, they just went out the front door - Tobin, some of the other faces you showed us. What'd you want me to do? I have my ID."

"No," Kaidan rushed to say. "No one uses those IDs. You leave mid-meeting out the front door, they're sure to check it with the light. Come to the south end of the gallery. Hallway behind the stairs. We regroup."

Kaidan dug around the bodies searching their utility belts and pockets.

"That hard up for credits?" Miranda asked.

Kaidan held up an ID card and gave her a flat look. He pulled the body down the stairs and searched through the ones Miranda had already deposited.

"Here." He came up the stairs and flipped a card to her.

She caught it. "New ID? I'm not a blonde." She turned the picture to him.

"You want one of these then?" He folded them out in one hand like a deck of cards. "You want to be a man with dreadlocks? How about this one? Hair color's right."

"This won't pass." Miranda waved it at him.

He pushed it back to her. "Put your thumb over the picture, maybe they won't notice. Say you dyed your hair. You use the other one, there's no chance of slipping through an inspection."

Kaidan took down the last body. When Kaidan reached the top step, Miranda was standing over the boy. She rolled his head to the side with the toe of her boot.

"He's coming to," she said. "What're you going to do about it?"

Kaidan pushed her aside and grabbed him by the collar of his armor. Kaidan lugged him to the stairs. The boy's legs dragged. His feet caught with a smack on each step, but Kaidan kept the boy's face and chest raised high. Miranda's feet tapped down the stairs behind him. Kaidan turned to her.

"Wait for James, then close that door behind us. Lock it."

"Lock ourselves in?"

"I'm draining the water system. We'll get out through there."

"While hauling around that kid?"

Kaidan glared up the stairs at her. "Miranda, listen—"

"Just let me do it," Miranda snapped. "You can rest your pretty little conscious knowing I did it, not you."

Kaidan dropped the boy and tore up the stairs two at a time.

"Listen up." He jammed a finger in her face. "We're not playing around. You do what I say, or you don't come. You decide."

He held her eye for a moment then turned back down the stairs.

"Wait for James, then lock the door."

Kaidan snagged the boy by his collar and dragged him to the bottom of the stairs. The boy's head lulled, and he moaned through the gaga. It was dark, and Kaidan wasn't sure where the lights were. He didn't have time to figure it out. His Omni-Tool light illuminated stacks of stage background cut-outs, rows of shelves, dusty bins, building materials, and overflowing boxed of hats and costuming. Light bounced down the wall illuminating a door at the far end of the basement. It could be a furnace room or electrical access, but it seemed the right position to be the drain system.

He dropped the boy beside the door. The boy groaned and lifted his head slightly before slumping back against the wall. His eyelids fluttered. Kaidan could hit him again and try to knock him out. Blood and bruises distorted the boy's swelling face, and Kaidan sighed. No, another hit might tip the scale.

The utility door was locked. Of course, it was. Kaidan found the side panel and overrode it. The door opened on a room blinking with a grid of buttons Pipes dripped from the ceiling and crisscrossed the back wall. Kaidan smiled.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Shepard listened to her earpiece and nodded. She took her finger away and turned back to her team. They'd scoped out the buildings along the street but now sat huddled by a crumbling cement wall. Tali peeked over the wall again with a sigh. She was probably still fretting over how to get to the manhole in the middle of the street.

"They caused a commotion in the theater," Shepard said.

"Commotion?" Liara's eyes rounded.

"Killed some guards. Hid them in the basement. But Kaidan said there's blood in the hallway if anyone uses a light to look around."

Garrus whistled. "How many they get? Need the score. We can beat them, right, Tali?"

"I just want to get to the bombs."

"As do I," Liara said.

"Okay," Shepard said. "That started a timer on us. We need to get in and out before this whole place blows up. Hopefully, they'll be focused on the theater. Maybe they'll think the Shields got into the theater through the drain in the basement."

"How are our people getting out?" Liara said.

"It's under control. Let's move out."

They shuffled down the wall closer to the street. The broken end of cement wall exposed gnarled metal rods sticking out at odd angles. Shepard peeked around the corner. The manhole was only a block away from the traffic rushing between the subway terminal and the theater. Cargo containers hefted in the arms of armored guards continued to pass. Shepard pulled her head back.

"We'll be exposed, so go fast," Shepard said. "I'll go first, get the manhole cover off. Garrus, you head up the back."

Shepard watched each head nod and then turned back to the street. A pair of armed guards stood at the end of the road. If she threw a pebble, she could hit them. They had their backs to the street, talking, and pointing at the theater. The dusky light would be enough for them to see her in the open street, but Shepard could be here all day if she waited for them to move.

Shepard spun out around the corner spraying cement chips. She raced toward the manhole keeping close to the ground. She was almost there. The left guard turned sideways. Shepard slid down. She scraped her legs out and pressed flat against on the asphalt. Her muscles coiled barely breathing as she watched the guard.

"How many?" The guard raised his voice speaking into a comm on his ear. "All missing? You're sure?"

The second guard facing the other way was barely audible. "We knew there'd be resistance. Too many people knew about this."

"We'll stay on alert," the first man said and dropped his hand from the comm.

"I told you—"

"Don't start again."

Two meters, just over a body's length, separated the sole of Shepard's boot from the manhole cover. Shepard rolled onto her stomach, checked the guards, and crawled around on her elbows. The guards continued to argue as Shepard's armored hand touched the manhole cover. She felt around for a grip and curled her fingers into the holes on either side of the round plate. It moaned lifting in her fingers. The second guard spun around.

"What was that?"

Shepard froze lying on her stomach with the lid raised centimeters from the manhole.

"All jumpy now?" the other guard chuckled.

"No. I heard something."

Shepard flattened against the road, keeping the manhole cover lifted, and held her breath to listen. The sunset cast long shadows across the road, and the anxious guard shaded the eyes slots of his helmet and peered down the block. Shepard's heart beat in her throat as she waited. Liara peeked around the cement wall at her. The barrel of Garrus's rifle slipped over the top of the wall. The guard shuffled into the street a couple of steps.

"Let's look around," he said.

"You think it's that turien group?" the other said.

"Could be those guys that split off with Raulie. They knew about the Summit."

"Let's start here. Work out way down."

Shepard grimaced. A shot from the sniper rifle would wake up the whole damn place. The guards meandered toward her, staring up at the rooftops, and peering through the windows lining the street. One of the guards flicked on his Omni-Tool light and pressed his face to the glass of a two story building. The roof had caved in. Shepard's eyes caught on a chunk of broken roofing balancing on the edge of the top story. She smiled. The second guard strolled over to the other guard and said something.

Shepard flared blue, dropped the manhole cover from one hand, and reached out with a flash. The chunk roofing glowed and tumbled forward with a tearing groan and thundered into the building. The windows blew out in a rush as Shepard tore the manhole cover up. She met Liara's eyes, sliding the cover across the asphalt, and waved her over. The guards hunched down shielding their faces with their arms in a plume of dust. Liara sprinted around the rubble. Shepard nodded at Tali and then met Garrus's eyes peeking above the wall.

"Come!" she mouthed with an emphatic wave.

The guards peered through the broken window into the dusty building. One of the guards broke away some of the jagged glass framing the bottom of the window, hopped over the glass, and disappear inside. Liara slipped down through the manhole. The second guard pulled the rifle off his back and shined his Omni-Tool light into the building. Tali followed Liara. Garrus slid down next to Shepard.

"Go," Shepard whispered.

Tali missed a rung on the ladder with an echoing bang. Shepard shoved Garrus down.

The guard turned with his rifle "What was—"

A clump of asphalt flashed blue behind him and flew through the jagged glass into the building with a hollow boom. The guard spun back around. Shepard jumped down the manhole, blue light fading off her skin, and pulled the manhole cover back in place with a metallic thump. She dropped down the ladder and splashed thigh-high into dark water. The guards had to have heard that thump, but unless they suspected someone going through the manhole, they wouldn't find anything.

Shepard pointed at Garrus. "Let's not discharge our firearms, unless we can't help it. Now, let's go."

The drain pipe lead two directions. Shepard shined her Omni-Tool light each direction before turning left with a wave of her arm. Black slime covered the walls in Shepard's light beam. Earthy, moldy smelling water splashed around them as she shuffled ahead. Garrus raised his sniper rifle over his head, green water lapping at his thighs, and snorted.

"I thought Alenko drained this."

"It is draining," Tali said. "See …" The water rippled along the wall. "It's already gone gone down a few centimeters since we dropped down."

Shepard flashed her Omni-Tool around the drain. An intersection was coming up with another pipe. There weren't any ladder or markings on the wall.

"Tali, you know which direction?"

"Here," Tali pushed around Garrus up beside Shepard.

Her Omni-Tool map glowed, and she waved everyone forward taking the lead.

"What's in this water?" Liara asked into hand covering her mouth and nose.

"You really want to know?" Shepard looked back at her. "It won't make you feel better."

"You're probably right." Liara sighed.

Tali pulled up short, and Shepard bumped into her back.

"We're coming up to a grate," Tali whispered.

Shepard leaned around her and looked down the drain pipe. Sure enough, a faint square of light reflected in the water a few meters ahead. They wadded forward quietly, but the noise overhead beyond the grate drowned away even the faint slosh of water around their legs. Metal screeched, voices yelled back and forth, and footsteps pounded overhead.

"I thought this pipe lead to where they stored train cars," Shepard whispered.

"It is," Tali said.

A ladder caught in the beam of Tali's Omni-Tool. It ran up the wall to a grated drain overhead. Shepard turned off her light, moving around Tali, and grabbed the bottom rung. She squinted up at the grate as she climbed higher. Something shadowed the grate overhead. When Shepard reached the top, she recognized the silvery, undulating underbelly of a train car. If the train car turned on, those undulating lines would be blazing with mass effect fields. She and probably everyone huddled at the bottom of the ladder, would be vaporized memories. The car wasn't on a rail though and seemed to be raised on stack, maybe under repair.

Shepard slid her fingers into the grating slots. Voices boomed far enough away Shepard couldn't make out the words. It sounded like a mostly female voices. Shepard frowned and listened harder but there was too much activity - banging, scraping, and running. Shepard heaved the grate up, climbing up another rung, and pushed it aside careful to not scrap it across the cement floor. Shepard peeked up over the edge of the hole.

Shadows from other train cars spread out on either side of what looked like a sprawling warehouse. She was only a couple train car from the back wall. Straight ahead was what really drew Shepard's attention. Forms moved in the bright light beyond the shadows of train cars. Shepard pulled herself up out of the hole. She hunched up on her knees under the wavy dip in center of the train's underside. The rail blazing with a mass effect field of its own should run along this dip, but instead Shepard could look down the hollow track of train cars at the bright clearing ahead. Unnatural being underneath a train car, even without a rail. The wide eyes on each face as they came up told her, they probably felt the same.

"What's happened up ahead?" Tali asked.

Garrus squinted through this rifle's scope. "Maybe a dozen guys, Shepard. No problem."

"That's not the problem." Shepard shove the gun barrel down. "It's the giving ourselves away."

"These guys? Pawh," Garrus said. "We've taken armies of banshees and brutes."

"We need the Scorpion to think their attack hasn't been compromised, Garrus."

"We take care of his army … even if he goes free, what's a king without his country, eh, Shepard?"

"This isn't the king's entire country, Garrus. Cool it, all right?"

Garrus sighed. "Just wake me up when there's some action."

"Well, don't fall asleep here. We're moving closer. Let's get a visual."

They crawled to the front train car and lay on their stomachs watching Terra Firma guards moving freight. They were all men. Shepard swore she'd heard female voices though.

"Looks like they're bringing in the crates from the train terminal's loading platform through that door," Shepard said. "They're loading those two train cars."

"Those cars on a rail," Tali said lifting her head high for a better view. "There's a retractable door in the wall in front of them. Probably leads out to the main track."

"Think they're getting ready to send out the party favors?" Shepard asked.

"And by party favors, you mean warheads?" Garrus asked.

"The best terrorist parties have them," Shepard said. "There are only two train cars though. We have three missing warheads. Still, seems promising. Only one way to find out what we're looking at. Tali, up for some disarming?"

"It could take a while. They've probably reengineered the detonation codes."

"Whatever it takes," Shepard said. "We'll sneak you onto one of the cars to get a look."

"Shepard," Liara breathed and turned wide blue eyes to Shepard. "Look in the train cars. They're guarded. I see commandoes."

"No …" Garrus smiled raising his sniper rifle. He clicked his tongue. "Finally, something interesting."

Shepard squinted at the train cars. Shadows moved across the windows. An asari moved into the open doorway of the front train and directed the loading of another crate.

"Mercenaries then," Shepard sighed. "We know they're working with Terra Firma. The warheads have to be in those cars if they hired commandoes to guard them. Smart."

"Dumb," Garrus said. "Because now we're going to kill them. We _are_ going to kill them, right, Shepard?"

"Garrus …" Shepard frowned. She looked at each of their faces. "Ideas?"

Tali pointed to the doorway in the corner where only a few men were left straggling in crates. Crowds of armed men shifted just beyond the open doorway though on the loading platform.

"I can lock that door," Tali offered. "Buy us some time."

"Liara?" Shepard twisted to face Liara.

"I don't think there's any way around it, Shepard. We can drop one of the Shield's pins. I can use my contacts to inflame rumors that the Shields were involved."

"Garrus, I can feel you smiling through the back of my head," Shepard said. She thought for a moment then looked at each of them again. "Okay. This is what we're going to do. We need those warheads out of commission no matter what. Tali, you'll seal that door to the platform. Garrus, cover us from here. Liara and I will draw the fire."

"I'll get as close as I can before breaking cover," Tali said and scuttled to her right.

She darted between train cars to the far wall neared the doorway. The guards milling about the train cars didn't seem to notice. Shepard peeked over her pistol and touched her earpiece.

"Kaidan, James, Miranda - we're going to raise a hell of a ruckus over here. How's that meeting? Do we need to wait?"

James's voice. "Uh, yeah, about that meeting. Think we got a hitch in plans."

Tali paused under the last train car and turned toward Shepard. Shepard held her off with a hand.

"They're readying that first train car to send out, Shepard," Liara whispered.

"Kaidan?" Shepard called into the comm.

"Here, Commander." Kaidan's voice. "We followed the cell leaders but, uh … they're not meeting in the theater."

"What do you mean?"

"They're in the Transportation Department tower, the skyscraper. Just saw a couple of shuttles from the city land on the roof."

"Okay." Shepard grimaced. "Try to find a way in. The ruckus here might put their meeting on hold. Let's just hope it doesn't derail things entirely. The warheads are the priority here."

"Agreed," Kaidan said. "Be careful. They're a lot of armed men that'll be headed your way."

Shepard dropped her hand from the comm and shared a look between Garrus and Liara. Each nodded in turn. Shepard motioned at Tali. Tali burst out from under the train car and streaked to the door. Helmets turned. Tali slammed the shut button and dropped to her knees by the door's control panel. Two guard next to the train car raised their rifles. A shot reverberated through the storage room. One of the guards staggered backward grabbing limply at the train car before tumbling to the ground. Garrus grinned and pumped another round into this rifle.

"Let's go." Shepard bolted out from under the train car and flickered blue.

Liara's corona glowed as she rushed out behind her. There was an open space with shipping crates and train cars lining the opposite side. Guards hollered, ducking behind freight, and falling back to the train cars. A bullet skid off Shepard's barrier as she slid around a metal shipping container. She threw a twisting sphere of light across the clearing. It landed between two train cars. A guard staggering back from Liara's pistol fire fell backward into the vortex. Liara flicked her wrist at him with a flash. The biotic detonation shook the train cars sending armed bodies flying across the gravel. The guard at the center of the explosion lay still, but the others caught in the aftershock pushed to their feet. One of men had just pushed to his feet when his helmet exploded. His body toppled down in a red fountain. Garrus was probably pleased over that one.

A translucent drone flew overhead as Tali ran from the door's control panel back into the cover of the train cars. Shots pattered the ground in her trail. Asari spilled out the train car doors. One stumbled back holding her side as Tali's drone flashed overhead. A rifle cracked, and she fell backward finished off in bloody spray.

Two humans flailed as they floated overhead in the clearing. Liara's singularity swirled beside them. Shepard whipped her hand out at them. One lit up with a crack and pow. The blast rippled across the floor. Two guards near the detonated wheeled backward falling against a train car.

Shepard flung a singularity sphere at a train car door where an assortment of mercs were emptying out. There was more than just commandos. The mercs staggered under the vortex but pulled free with their shields and barriers glimmering. A guard clicked on a turret. Shots smattered into Shepard's crate she was using for cover. She ducked back. The boom of sniper rifle shots echoed around the room. The room flashed with biotic blasts.

A swirling sphere spun around the corner of the crate next to Shepard. Her boots skidded on the concrete, but she clenched her jaw and pulled free. A tearing wave rippled through her barrier. Her barrier weakened, and she twisted around looking for the source. Another ripple crackled through her dimming barrier. The sphere sucked at her, and she struggled to pull free. It was going to pull her out into the open. The turret hammered Shepard's crate. Tali streaked past from cover, Omni-Tool glowing, gun firing, and the turret burst apart in a fountain of sparks. The sphere blinked out, and Shepard steadied herself.

Shepard glimpsed a commando in the window of the train car behind her. Undoubtably the one warping her barrier. The angled her pistol out the window aiming at Shepard. A bullet glanced off Shepard's barrier with a sharp sting as she ducked.

A shadow fell over Shepard. She spun and fired. A guard stumbled back, shield sparking, but fired his rifle. The shots knifed into Shepard's barrier tearing apart the weave. Her barrier broke. The commando in the train car threw singularity behind Shepard, and she lost her footing. Her fingers snared the edge of the crate.

The rifle clicked in the hand of the guard she'd knocked back. He hissed and changed his clip. Shepard threw a warp on him, but it only rippled across his shield. Something lit up his shield from behind, and he swung around with his rifle. A drone floated overhead firing, and the man's shield quivered and broke. A sniper rifle boomed, and his head burst in a spray of bone and blood. His body toppled over.

The singularity blinked out, and Shepard stumbled to her feet in a crouch. She lifted her head enough to see the commando firing out a broken window at Liara. Liara slipped between the crates and box cars throwing up biotic flashes. That many warps, the commando's shield should have broken, but it held. Liara rolled under the asari's window and tossed singularity up at the broken glass. Shepard leaped to her feet firing her pistol. The bullets caught the commando by surprise, and she swung around as another Shepard hit her with a warp. Her shield finally broke. Liara's singularity pulled her in. She fumbled for the window edge as she slipped through the broken window. Revenge was a bitch. Shepard smiled and threw a warp onto her. The burst rattled the train car, and Liara covered her face in the spray of glass. The asari's body slammed into the wall of the train car and slid down with a thump.

The platform door was still locked and holding. Yelling, pounding, and machinery boomed around the room from the other side. Tali knew how to jam a door, and Shepard doubted they had engineers to match her skill in overriding it. They'd need a laser or some heavy machines to get through, which could actually be on its way.

Another turret thundered bullets into the crate behind Shepard. She darted straight ahead down a row of train cars keeping the crate to her back blocking the turret's bullets. A commando dashed across the aisle up ahead and disappeared between two train cars. Someone with a purpose. Shepard frowned and sped ahead following her through the gap between the train cars. The asari took a few two more rows, leaping between cars, and rounded on the third row. Tali's back was to the row as she fired into the clearing. The asari raised her pistol. Shepard smashed into her with her Omni-Blade.

The commando fended Shepard off, glowed blue, and slamming energy into Shepard's weak barrier. It snapped. The commando threw her flying backward. She slammed against the train car. Pain seared up her back as she dropped to the ground. Blood sprayed from her mouth across the cement. She snapped her head up and threw a warp, but the commando's barrier held. The commando raised a hand and a streak blue energy slammed into Shepard. She clenched her teeth with a hiss as electricity shivered through her bones. The commando grinned raising another flickering palm.

A shadow passed over Shepard, and the commando stumbled back. Blue light zigzaged across the commando's barrier. Liara's boots scuffed past Shepard's face, and another burst of energy knocked the commando down. Shepard stumbled to her feet as the commando sat up and hurled a bolt of energy at Liara. The energy skimmed Shepard's barrier as she knocked Liara aside. The asari raised palms crackling blue energy and narrowed her eyes on Shepard. Shots echoed out behind the commando, and she reeled forward into Shepard as her shield broke. Her eyes strained wide with a wet gasp, and Shepard withdrew her Omni-blade. The commando dropped to the cement as Tali rushed up with her pistol.

"They're coming through the door," Tali said.

"Anything you can do?" Shepard asked.

Tali nodded. "I need to get to the door again."

"Let's go," Shepard said.

Shepard gave Liara a hand up, and they sprinted down the row of cars to the cleared area. They'd thinned the herd considerably, but shots still echoed still around the room. Garrus was taking a lot of heat hunkered under one of the train cars. The door to the train's platform rumbled, and Tali bolted toward it. A guard stood up by a crate and followed her with his rifle. His helmet burst in a red spray as the shot from the sniper rifle echoed around the room. Shepard plunged after Tali and spread a shield out from her hand. Biotics and bullets pounded against it. Tali slid down by the control panel as Shepard held the shield out as cover.

"There's two sets of fire doors I can close," Tali said leaning in with her Omni-Tool glowing.

Sparks sizzled from the crack around the doors. Shepard's shield flickered under the barrage, and her jaw clenched feeling each hit reverberate through her bones. Liara rushed toward them flinging bolts of energy at the helmets peeking around nearby crates. She raised her own shield and skidded up next to Shepard. Liara's shield unfurled, flickering and overlapping the edge of Shepard's field.

Grenades burst against Shepard's shield. Shepard fell back a step into Tali. A chain of rifle fire pounded her shield and more biotics. Shepard gritted her teeth feeling sweat run down her back. Tali panted cursing. A red door slid across the sparks coming from the metal doors.

"There's another on the other side," Tali yelled pushing keys on her Omni-Tool. "I can get it."

"Hurry," Shepard said through her teeth.

Another grenade exploded, and she fell back. Liara caught her arm. Liara's own shield was flickering, and she turned back to it wide-eyed. But the barrage seemed directed at Shepard's field. A burst of energy hit her shield, and Liara clutched her arm to steady her again.

Liara moved in close to Shepard and pressed her own shield out further and wider. It sizzled passing through Shepard's shield and wavered just a breath beyond it. Shepard caught her breath a little dazed. Liara stumbled back reeling from another grenade. Pieces of shrapnel tore through both shield and slashed Shepard's forearm. She dropped her pistol, swearing, and focusing on the shield.

"Almost, almost," Tali said.

Garrus raced along the train cars and darted along the wall to them. Liara's chest heaved as she kept her shield barrier out. Bullets rippled and another grenade it exploded. It snapped Liara's shield back and hit Shepard's full force. They both stumbled to their knees with shields flickering. Garrus peered through his scope, angled around the shield, and returned fired.

"Liara," Shepard panted. "Reinforce my shield barrier."

Liara nodded vigorously, breathing through her mouth, and licking her lips. Liara's shield went out. Shepard growled under the strain. Liara reached her hand, and touched Shepard's shield barrier. Energy rippled from her fingertips. It brushed under Shepard's barrier and anchored against it with wide, knotting loops. Shepard pulled in a deep breath as the shield bolstered. Liara's field hardened beneath Shepard's, and they lock together. Shepard's shield tore and splintered under the gunfire, but the stiff resistance of Liara's foundation locked below it held the onslaught. Still on her knees, Shepard braced a shaky hand on the ground and squeezed her eyes shut. Her heart beat in her throat with the stab of each bullet. Shepard's shield fragmented and cracked against Liara's field like having a hammer hitting two metal sheets. She couldn't repair it fast enough. Another grenade hit. Liara gasped clutching Shepard's arm. Nothing cut through the sealed layers though.

"Okay. Done." Tali sprang to her feet. The doors creaked under the sound of another door grinding shut on the other side. "That should take them a while."

"Let's finish them off." Shepard panted, letting her shield drop, and feeling a rush of energy return.

They returned fire and sprinted for cover in the train cars.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"Damn. That _is_ quite the commotion." James grinned then squinted over at the tower.

"Not enough though." Kaidan paced up to the broken shop window facing the theater and train terminal. Armed men swarmed like ants on a trail between them.

Miranda's heels crunched over the broken glass and rubble as she came up beside him.

"He's hog tied in a back room. Easy enough to extract later," she said.

Kaidan glanced over at her and nodded absently. A steady streak of running and yelling was underway out in the gray twilight, but nothing moved at the tower. In fact, it seemed to have only increased the guard count and sentries' vigilance. They even brought the dogs over patrolling around the building with some armored handlers. These guards boiling around the tower seemed more elite. Their armor was better, all with full suits and helmets, and the way they carried their assault rifles spoke to some training. It was getting too dark to see them well from this far though.

"What now?" James asked. "What about that map again?"

Kaidan brought up the schematic, twisting, and expanding it. James and Miranda huddled in beside him and stared at it. They'd already examined it twice, but there was no way but the front door.

"Joker could drop us off on the roof," James said.

"He'd be seen or at least heard," Kaidan said. "Even if we hid before the guards got to the roof, the meeting would be halted and moved for security."

"Let's climb to an upper story window," James said.

Miranda stared at him. "You're serious? We'd never make it to the base of the tower. Even if we could, you saw the lower stories' windows - sealed. We're not climbing four stories up unseen? They have guards on the fire escapes."

"Just airing ideas," James said. "Haven't heard on your side."

"I won't waste time with absurdities," she said. "There are three ways in – the front door, drop off on the roof, and that."

She pointed at the rail line passing from the through the theater's train terminal and ending at the tower. Someone had mentioned the tower having a loading platform below ground. There'd be an elevator or stairs to get to the top floors.

"You're suggesting _that_?" James frowned at Miranda. "Now _that's_ crazy."

"We'll take the rail," Kaidan snapped off his Omni-Tool. The map flashed away.

"Wait, wait. What?" James said.

"There's a maintenance access point mid-line." Kaidan rested a hand on the side of the window and leaned out.

He searched the open ground between the train terminal and tower. Most of it was parking space or once landscaped. The maintenance hatch should be midway between. It could be buried under the debris.

"You're serious?" James asked lightly.

"I'm serious." Kaidan's eyes strayed to James.

James straightened and nodded. "Yes, sir."

Miranda strolled to the opposite edge of the window. "You're aware the rail's live, right?"

"I figured that," Kaidan said and stood away from the window. He pulled out his pistol. "Let's go. Keep low. It's getting dark enough, we shouldn't draw attention if we're quiet."

James nodded absently, chewing the corner of his lip, and turned toward the door. Kaidan stepped forward. Miranda stood in his way.

"Miranda …" Kaidan's jaw flexed.

"Kaidan, just listen." She kept her voice low and stepped in closer. "Skip the meeting. You want to follow this representative back to the real leaders? I'm sure one of those shuttles dropped him off, and it will take him back. Let's go wait with Joker. We follow the shuttle when it leaves."

"There's more than one shuttle up there."

"Then let's get more than one shuttle over here. There's still time. Message Cortez or someone."

James eyed them from the doorway and leaned against the door frame. Kaidan folded his arms and thought for a moment.

"That's a good idea. It is," he said. "But we need to know their full plan. They'll catch us somewhere on it if we're not ready. Let's find the rail's maintenance hatch. It could be buried. Then we'll know our options."

Miranda stepped aside with a nod and let Kaidan pass. She followed him to the door.

XXX

"It's shielded and encrypted." Tali twisted to Shepard as the two of them crouched by the warhead.

The warhead was enormous. So much larger than Shepard thought. The outer shell stood at shoulder level. Shepard tugged her gauntlets off and stuffed them in her helmet on the floor beside her. The bomb's core, covered by a glass case, didn't look damaged from the fire exchange. Shepard pressed her palm to the cool glass as confirmation though. The ignition process hadn't been triggered. She rose and gazed around the train car at the cargo boxes of firearms, grenades, and armor. The train car jostled as Liara climbed up through the train car's door.

"There's another one in that other train car," she said, "but not a third. I'm sorry."

"You're sure?" Shepard whipped around to face her. "You checked the whole thing? It could be a different size."

"I checked too, Shepard." Garrus stood outside the door. "Only two."

"The one in the other car," Shepard said. "Tell me it's the nuke."

Liara dropped her eyes and shook her head. Shepard cursed.

"Must be somewhere else," Garrus's voice said from the doorway. "Shepard, they're working on those doors pretty hard."

"We have to find that nuke," Shepard said.

"They might not even have it, Shepard," Liara said. "The three warheads were all taken from the Shields, but it doesn't mean the planned to use them together."

"The consequences if we don't find it are too steep." Shepard shook her head. She pointed out at the long rows of unrailed train cars under storage. "Liara, Garrus - search as many as you can. Quick."

Liara darted down the train steps and followed Garrus out into the cars. Two train cars mounted on the rail and two bombs, but not the most important one. Shepard turned back to Tali.

"How long?" Shepard asked crouching next to her.

"This?" Tali shook her head. "Hours. And that's with me working on one, and Kaidan on the other at the same time."

"Maybe the other warhead's easier."

"If that one isn't the nuclear one, then it's the same type of bomb as this one."

Shepard stood and paced up the aisle. "If we can't diffuse it …" She stopped and tapped her fingers on the back of a seat. "No, they can't detonate here. Too close to the inhabited part of the city." She concentrated on the rubber floor runner. Her back straightened. "We move them." She shot to the front of the train and stopped in front of the window. "Tali, is that gate functional? The rail under this car and both of these train car - all of that can turn on? This rail connects to the main line?"

Tali's head turned. "What? I'm sure but—"

"We're taking the train cars, both of them, and the bombs."

"Shepard." Tali stood. "This is an active warhead."

"Garrus," Shepard called in the comm. "I need you over here."

Garrus jogged over from the train cars gawking at the sparks and banging coming from the platform's red fire door. He came up the steps, and Shepard rushed to explain the plan. Tali shook her head with folded arms.

Garrus glanced at Tali. "I'm all for risks, Shepard, but Tali's right about the danger. This goes off somewhere under the city, a lot more lives are lost than if they detonated here."

"Garrus," Shepard said. "This is our chance not to lose any lives. It can't go off here, and it can't fall back into their hands. This is the only way we win."

Garrus glanced over at the retractable door to the main rail line. "You take the damnedest risks, Shepard, but I'm behind you. Tell me what to do."

"Let's open those gates."

Garrus tore down the steps.

"Shepard." The comm crackled with Liara's voice. "They're almost through the last door."

"Anything?"

"It's not here, Shepard. I'm sorry."

"Just come back."

Shepard turned to Tali. "Think we have time to move the warheads onto one train car?"

Tali leaned over a seat and stared out the window at the sparks shooting around the red fire door. "I don't think so."

"Tali, how hard is it to drive this? Think you can do it?"

"Shepard," Tali twisted to her. "I've never driven a subway train."

"Can't be hard if Terra Firma can do it. Can you patch in? Control both cars?"

"At the same time? Simultaneously direct their rails? If I'm patching in, they'd need to be right together. I don't know, Shepard."

"The other car can be right behind this one. Look up what you need on your Omni-Tool. We're going to make this happen."

Shepard jumped out of the trains. The fire doors glowed with heat and groaned as some force bared down on them. Shepard rushed to the other train car mounted on the rail.

XXX

"I've patched into both," Tali said. "I'm ready."

"Garrus? Now!" Shepard called.

The retractable door screamed open. Static air rushed over them as the doors widened to a roaring flare of blue light. The main line burned just beyond dancing with wild blue flames, crackling, and flaring through the darkness. Shepard was stumbling back before her mind stopped her. The rail was several train car lengths away. She was a safe distance.

"How are we turning these rails on," Liara asked pointed to the section of rail under the two cars.

"I'll do it from there," Shepard pointed at the control board next to the retracted doors.

"I'll?" Garrus asked jogging up.

"Get in the back train car, Garrus."

"What? Why?"

"Tali," Shepard called, and she appeared at the door of the front train car. "You direct both cars, but Garrus you need to stay with the bomb in the second car."

"You're not coming, Shepard? Then I'm staying."

"No, Garrus. Go with Tali and the bombs." Shepard tilted her head fire door. It gave a metal scream as metal wedged between the door and wall. "They'll follow if they can."

"They're coming through that door, Shepard!" Liara yelled.

"I know. Go, Garrus! Tali, ready?"

"Yes, Shepard."

Garrus clasped Shepard on the shoulder then sprinted to the back car. He gripped the hand rail by the door and swung up inside.

"Message Joker. I'm going to turn on the rail."

Tali nodded and shut the car's door. Shepard raced to the panels by the wall, motioning Liara back, and punched the buttons. Red lights spun over head with a wail of sirens. Thick walls rose up from the floor around the rail way. Liara grabbed Shepard arm as she raced over.

"They're going to follow them, Shepard. They're hearing the sirens right now."

"When Tali shut that door, there weren't any trains sitting at the platform. They'll have to get a train from down the line if they're going to follow."

The platform's fire door gave a metallic scream as the metal wedge burst through the widening crack. Shepard shoved Liara across the open space toward the rows of rail cars and the grate in the drain system they'd come up through. The door burst open as arms and gun barrels shoved through in a roar of voices. They slipped into the rows of rail cars as footsteps rushed through the platform doors behind them.

The rising walls around the two train cars sealed into the roof and the sirens cut off. Boots rushed toward the rail controls. Shepard slowed to watch down the row of cars and lifted her pistol. The room roared in a crackle of energy, and the armed men stood back looking at the walls around the now-live rail.

Hair tickled the back of her neck, and she froze. Her helmet and gauntlets. She'd left them on the train car. At least, she hadn't left them to be found here though.

She ducked her head and looked under the rail cars. The grate was one row over. Shepard motioned Liara to get under the train car and pulled a Shield's pin from her pocket. She chucked it high over the rail cars and heard it slick on the cement some rows over. Forms moved in the distance turning as if to search through the train cars. Shepard slid under the train car and followed Liara into the drain. She snapped the grate back in place and dropped onto the slimy floor of the drain line. She touched her ear still catching her breath.

"Kaidan, James, Miranda …"

Shepard pointed Liara down the drain back the way they'd come in. It was much faster going without wadding in water up to your thigh.

"Shepard." Miranda's voice.

"Where are you?"

"I'll send you coordinates."

Shepard checked the map. It wasn't too far from the manhole they'd used to get into the drain. Shepard raced down the line. Her voiced bounced with her pounding footsteps as she delivered the update.

"So Garrus and Tali are on the train cars. They'll coordinate a pick up along the line with the Alliance via Joker."

There was only silence. The ladder caught in Shepard's bouncing Omni-Tool light. Liara's feet beat on the drain behind her.

"Shepard."

"Kaidan?"

Shepard reached the bottom of the ladder. Voices and scurrying feet picked up volume as she climbed the ladder. The street would be dark now though.

"Kaidan?" she pressed her ear again as she pushed the manhole cover up and scrapped it to the side.

She listened for any reaction in the street - nothing. She checked to make sure Liara was behind her, then peaked up. Only bobbing lights in the distance. The comm crackled in her ear.

"The only path into the transportation tower is the rail line," Kaidan said.

"Not an option. It's active."

"I see that."

"Then find a different way."

Shepard pulled herself up and offered Liara a hand. Liara scanned the darkness as Shepard checked the map again. She motioned down the street.

Kaidan's voice came over the comm again. "The only other way in is through the front door, and that's not happening."

"Listen to me, Kaidan." Shepard slinked along the store fronts. "Tali and Garrus just left. Terra Firma's going to follow them. They didn't have a train at the station's platform last I saw. They'll be sending one from that tower then. Don't get on that rail."

Shepard and Liara stopped at the end of the street and crouched. The bobbing lights were infrequent enough, they could slip through. They just needed to cross the parking lot then to the coordinates. It didn't look like the dogs were around this time. She nodded at Liara, and they shot out into the open keeping close to the ground.

"Shepard," Kaidan said again. "I can shut down the section of rail between the tower and train terminal. They wouldn't be able to send any train cars after Garrus and Tali, and we'd have an access route to the tower."

"Listen." Shepard tried to keep her voice low as the scurried forward. "Garrus and Tali already have a good head start, and we're probably too late for that meeting anyway. We'll find another way."

"It's going to take time to offload two warheads. The control panel to shut down the line is just down the line from the maintenance hatch."

A light passed just ahead, and they froze and sank lower to the ground. They were almost to the parking lot. The hatch was just ahead. The light passed, and they darted forward again.

"Kaidan!" Shepard hissed once the light was far enough away. "Do not get on that rail. This is not a discussion. Now, we're almost there. Just sit tight."

He drew in a jagged breath. His voice had some heat, but he said, "Aye, aye, Commander."


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Shepard and Liara ran close to the ground out from the overhang of the parking garage.

"There they are," Shepard said.

Kaidan, James, and Miranda hunched over a metal hatch cleared of the rubble. Liara and Shepard slid down beside them. The white of their eyes seemed bright in the darkness as they turned to Shepard. Well, James and Miranda's eyes anyway. Kaidan had the hatch cracked open peering inside. A slit of blue light flickered across his face. Shepard grabbed his shoulder. He looked up and dropped the hatch closed.

"What's happening?" Liara asked ducking low as a beam of lights bounced overhead.

Armored men swarmed passed them toward the tower.

"Those men are going to load the train," Kaidan snapped motioning at them, then turned to Shepard. "Shepard, let me do this. Please. It has to be now."

"They're already entering the tower, Kaidan."

"Garrus and Tali need more time. If they get caught … They're under the city, Shepard! Terra Firma has nothing to lose in detonating them if they realize the Alliance is involved."

James watched her with a hard gleam in his eye but didn't say anything. Shepard looked to Miranda, but she picked absently at the chips of rubble by her feet and didn't look up. Shepard's eyes shifted back to Kaidan. He stared at her unblinking and waiting.

"Fine," Shepard hissed.

Kaidan lifted the hatch. Light blazed out, and James scrambled to block it. His hand snared the corner of the hatch and prevented it from banging closed as Kaidan dropped down inside. In the distance, the mass of armored men disappeared into through the tower's front doors. The hatch creaked as James lowered it. Shepard caught the edge.

"Keep it cracked. If a train comes, we'll need out fast."

Shepard threw the hatch open in a burst of light.

Miranda grabbed her arm. "Shepard, no."

Shepard wrenched her arm away, and Liara scrambled over.

"I'll go," she said.

"Stay here. If something happens, finish the mission."

Shepard lowered the hatch and hurried down the ladder. Her skin prickled, blue light blinding her, as her feet finally hit the ledge. She staggered against the wall grabbing for hand holds that weren't there. Her blood pulsed with the roar of the rail. It burned down the center of the tunnel, suspending above the tunnel floor, and level with her feet. Shepard pressed against the wall and steadied her footing on the narrow outcropping. A light moved along the wall to her left in the direction of the tower. The control panel he needed to access was much further from the ladder than she expected.

She shuffled forward, one foot at a time on the narrow ledge. The other side of the tunnel didn't even have that much space. The outcrop must only exist for the maintenance workers accessing the rail then. Her hand found a thin metal railing along the wall as she moved ahead.

The light in front of her stopped. It flashed her direction. It only blinded her for a moment before it lowered. A metal sheet caught the light as it flew out and clattered against the rail in a shower of sparks - the rail's control panel cover, no doubt. It spun on the gravel under the rail line, metal and not vaporized. Kaidan hunched over an open panel. His boots barely fit sideways on an indented space in the wall.

"Shepard. What are you doing?" He glanced up as she neared.

She shuffled into the indent beside him and crouched down. Light from her Omni-Tool shined into the control panel.

"Keep going," she said.

Kaidan's eyebrows pinched deeper above a sharp-eyed frown, but he cut his eyes away and grappled with wires inside the panel. Hair rose on Shepard's arm as gravel clicked and rolled beneath the track. Shepard leaned in closer beside him. Kaidan's eyes darted over his shoulder at the track and breath hissed through his teeth. He tore through his Omni-Tool screens. Static brushed over them like a chill. A crackling wind came down the dark tunnel. Shepard squinted in the direction of the tower as strands of hair lifted around her face. She spun back to Kaidan.

"What can I do?" she asked.

"Nothing."

His boots scrapped to keep on the ledge as he reached into the panel up to his shoulder. His face scrunched manipulating something inside. The rail flared behind a surge of energy whooshing down the track. It passed them leaving the tunnel ablaze with wild blue flames crackling on the rail line. A voice spoke in Shepard's comm through a burning static. She touched her ear.

"What?" she said.

Kaidan glanced down the line. He exhaled sharply and spun back to his Omni-Tool screen. His hair swayed on his head like being underwater.

"James?" Shepard said.

"Shep—" It broke up. Interference from the rail.

Gravel shook across the tunnel floor. The tunnel burst with light as the rail glowed brighter.

"Shep—" The comm cut with static. "I think—Shep—" Shepard pressed the comm tighter into her ear. "Train."

A pinprick of light appeared down the tunnel. Kaidan's head whipped to Shepard.

"Shepard! Run!"

His fingers flew across the screen. Shadows lengthened as the cement wall shivered with a growing light. Shepard knelt in closer to see the screen. Kaidan tore down the scrolling screen and jammed the last button. The rail's blue light flashed and went out.

Metal on metal screamed from down the tunnel as a distant blue light grew bright. The rail was off, but the train still had momentum. Mass effect fields flared beneath it. Kaidan shoved Shepard toward the ledge walkway. The train slowed losing momentum, but not fast enough. The manhole was too far away. He had to know that.

Shepard spun, grabbing Kaidan's shoulders, and pulled him after her onto the dead metal tracks. A blue barrier wrapped out around them, and she drove him down under the rail. A familiar energy wove through her barrier as she pressed him into the gravel. It fused and hardened as she panted into this face. Lights glinted in the white of his eyes, and he gave her a weak smile. She touched his jaw and ran a thumb down his cheek. His breath caught. And it hit them.

Energy slammed into them. It punched her breath out, burned her eyesight, and exploded through her head. An inferno roared overhead. The barrier ripped and tore sending shivers through her bones. Her teeth clenched as she tried to draw air against the weight and roar. The barrier fractured, strands breaking and snapping under the strain. Fire burned into her skin, and her core exploded with lightening. Kaidan shivered beneath her, and she rose against his chest as he drew in a deep breath. The barrier brightened, and the fire left her skin scalded and stinging. She sucked at the vacuum, lungs expanding, and finally gulped air.

The train was grinding to a stop overhead, and their barrier dimmed against the storm of energy. Shepard's teeth chattered, and she clenched down on her breath. Her energy flared through the barrier, and Kaidan took another deep breath beneath her. Strands of his energy strained to reach hers. They curled and knit together but snapped just as quickly. His threats frayed and started to dim away. She grasped for them as the barrier corroded around them. His body trembled, breathing slowed.

Shepard squeezed her eyes shut, drew sharp breath, and shoved back with the barrier. Hard. The barrier snapped outward. The storm lifted from the rail like the leap in a skip. A long shriek screamed over their heads and the ground heaved under them. Air churned and exploded around them, metal bursting and grinding. The blue fire overhead lifted and pressure released with thunderous ripping, snapping, popping, exploding. Then it stilled.

Shepard gasped and opened her eyes into swirling dust. The rail above their heads curled up like a snapped ribbon. The underside of a train car sparked and hissed with blue flashes as it teetered above. It ground against the wall bearing down on them as the rail slowly twisted aside with a screech. Kaidan's head lulled to the side. His eyes cracked open, and he sucked in a breath.

"Kaidan, we need to get up!"

The rail groaned. Flecks of cement sprinkled down on them from the wall as the train car slipped. Shepard squeezed Kaidan's shoulder, but his eyes strayed closed.

"Kaidan."

She got to her knees. The back of her armor snapped and broke. A piece cut into her shoulder as her back straightened. The train was derailed. Train cars toppled over each other, broken and tossed, and sending sparks into the air. A fire burned down the line toward the train station. The car creaked overhead and skipped against the wall in a burst of cement chips.

Shepard grabbed Kaidan's face between her hands. He blinked up at her with hooded eyes as if trying to focus. His throat moved in a swallow, and he released a slow breath.

"Are you okay?" he said.

"This car is pushing the rail aside. It'll pin us. Let's go."

Gravel fell off his skin as he struggled to sit up with shaky arms. The train dropped against the wall a space. Shepard grabbed his arm and hauled him up into a crouch. The rail protested with a low whine and the train car slipped. Shepard pushed Kaidan forward as the metal shivered above. It smashed down in with a loud clap as they scuttled out from underneath.

The unbroken rail ahead was doing a much better job of keeping the train cars settled. Shepard got to her feet in the empty space opposite a leaning train car. Kaidan sat on his knees and pinched the bridge of his nose. Shepard put down a wavery hand and hauled him up. They stumbled against each other.

"I was afraid I'd pass out," he said. "Drop the barrier."

"Let's get back from this split rail." Shepard weaved down the rail line the other direction from the burning cars. "Grenades or something must have started that fire at the head of the train. We need to—"

A loud metal pop and voices came from ahead. They ducked to the side around the cover of an overturned car. They were near the end of the train.

"Someone's opening that train car's door," Kaidan whispered.

Shepard narrowed her eyes against the gathering smoke and heavy dust. The last train car's side door moaned and burst open. Men pulled piled out dressed in mismatched armor, helmeted, with rifles slung across their backs. Shepard's armor creaked and snapped as she hunched counting them. It was a whole company dropping to the gravel.

"Should we go back for the others?" Kaidan whispered and looked behind them, down the way they'd come.

"There's no going that direction with the fire still burning. We need to get to the tower."

"Still? It'll be too late."

"I've been to enough meetings to have some faith in just how long they can be."

"Even with your train being derailed and your warheads taken?"

"It's the unreconstructed part of the city. Until they've investigated it, what do they know? Untimely rail failure."

"Very untimely," Kaidan said. "They're searching the wreckage, not paying attention. Let's get a jump on them."

"How're you feeling?"

His eyes flicked to hers. "Honestly? Not a hundred percent here, Shepard."

"Yeah, me neither."

"I'm ready though." He drew his pistol. "What do you want to do?"

Shepard checked the clip on her pistol and popped it back in. Her armor belt had extra clips, and she handed him one with a smile.

"Our train wreck's missing a few casualties, don't you think?"

Kaidan tucked the clip away. "Let's beat the morning news then."

Shepard peeked around the corner of the train car. Smoky shapes argued by the far car while others picked around the wreckage.

"Okay," Shepard turned back to Kaidan. "We get a little closer, you'll overload their weapons."

"Not a dozen at a time."

"Yeah, I know that. Listen," Shepard said. "I'll provide cover. Get to the end of that car. You see there?"

Kaidan leaned past her. "Yeah."

"Okay. It's angled enough, it should provide cover. Close enough for overload. We use weapons and tech."

"You?"

"I'll draw their fire. Just be quick, get around the corner, and down the line. Barriers are probably out for us. But I have armor and you don't, so be careful."

"Don't count on that armor, Shepard. It's crumbling, and you don't have a helmet."

"Just a little broken in. Now, get ready."

Shepard gripped her pistol with both hands to keep it steady and held it up to her chest. The gravel scrunched under Kaidan's boots as he readied himself in a runner's stance.

"Ready?" Shepard looked around the corner. "Go!"

She spun out. Kaidan dashed her and hugged close to the underside of the tipped over train cars. Helmets whipped toward her, and she fired. They raised their rifles as she closed in dodged side to side. A bullet glanced off her side with a crack. She fired a return volley, and snapping in a new clip, darted after Kaidan as he scrambled up behind the train car. He reached out, Omni-Tool glowing, while still returning fire. Rifle shots slowed mixing with empty clicks, heat alerts, and cursing. Metal flakes sprayed at the edge of the train car. The gravel burst under bullet fire. Shepard shuffled up against him tamping down the jittery weak feeling in her legs.

"Ready?" she said.

He nodded. They spun around the corner. Guards shook their rifles trying the triggers, and a few pulled pistols instead. One near the back dropped his rifle and turned on his Omni-Tool. Shepard shot him. Two more with jammed guns seemed to get the same idea and apparently had tech training. They reached out with glowing Omni-Tools, and Shepard's pistol jammed. She looped up to them through the debris. Bullets glanced off the train cars as she darted to the side.

A guard swung from around the corner of a train car. His Omni-blade just missed her face as she stumbled back and stamped him in the chest with her boot. A gun reached over her shoulder pointed at the man and fired. His helmet split, and Kaidan pulled the trigger again before shoving him over.

"Grenade!" Shepard flashed a biotic shield.

Her vision burst with white light, ear ringing, and she tripped to her knees. She dug into the gravel and scrambled to her feet still seeing spots. She followed Kaidan to the cover of another train car. He grabbed her shoulder and wrenched her to face him.

"Don't push the biotics, Shepard. You'll pass out."

"Better than dying, right?" She pulled away.

They ducked under a hail of gunfire and pressed back against the train car. Flashes of light still colored her vision, and when she looked over, Kaidan was staring at her. His fingertips brushed the skin above her lips, and he held them out for her to see. Red. She touched her nose. He gave her a significant look and a nod before firing around the corner. Shepard clutched the underside of the train car, blinking fast, and trying to clear the dizzying swirl of lights.

"Incoming!" Kaidan yelled

Shepard's back snapped straight, and she raised her pistol. Three guards spun around the corner, Kaidan shot one in the neck and frosted the other with his Omni-Tool. The third dodged Shepard's wobbly shot and raised a pistol at her chest. Blue flashed as the gun shot echoed in her ears. Kaidan dropped his hand, blue fading off his skin, and kicked the man back. Shepard steadied her gun and fired. The man cartwheeled back. Shepard shot him twice more. Kaidan shot the last man as he broke free from the frost. Kaidan turned back to Shepard whipping his nose.

"We can't stay here," he said. "They're setting up a turret. The ones in the back took off toward the tower."

Blood smeared the side of his finger. He frowned down at it and shook his head.

"You're the only one I've ever seen do that, Kaidan."

Hundreds of biotics, years in the military, time with asari matriarchs and justicars - no one else batted aside bullets when their biotics got strained. You have to be as faster than the trigger. He sagged against the train car, and she leaned around him. A turret raised its head, and she fired at it. An engineer raised his rifle and fired. Shepard ducked back.

"We're going to be pinned," Shepard said. "You all right?"

He nodded, eyes still a little unfocused, but color returning to his face. He pushed away from the train car on wobbly feet. Hers didn't feel much better. The turret clicked on.

"Let's go!"

Shepard dashed back the way they'd come. Smoke thickened as rushed away under a rhythmic hail of bullets. Shepard shoved Kaidan out of the way of a grenade, and they fell down around a train car as gravel and shrapnel exploded into the air. They continued back toward the front of the train, and Shepard twisted to check but Kaidan was still on her heels. The fire was dying down in the cars far ahead. Shepard covered her face against the smoke and slowed as they reached the broken rail. Just past the indented platform, it curled up on each side across a gap.

"Kaidan, the control panel!" She pointed at the indent in the wall.

They climbed up onto a turned over train car. Their feet banged across its metal side toward the indent in the wall with the control panel. Kaidan leaped onto the indented platform in the wall and pulled up his Omni-Tool.

"Turn it back on," she said jumping onto the ledge next to him.

Kaidan smiled. "Thought so."

He hunched down and reached into the panel. No one appeared to be pursuing them. The smoke was too thick to make much out. Probably all on their way back to the tower. Once the rail turned back on, no one was getting back to pick she and Kaidan out of a line-up. Shepard tapped her pistol against her thigh and kept her eyes fixed in their direction.

Gravel scattered against cement and voices behind her. She whipped around, stepped over Kaidan, and raised her pistol shakily in both hands. It sounded like running footsteps, a group. Guards from the train station had finally made it past the fire at the head of the train then. Voices echoed louder. Indistinct.

Kaidan flipped a switch inside the panel. Static crackled through the air. He held his Omni-Tool up and scrolled down the screen.

"Almost there," Kaidan muttered.

Movement caught Shepard's eye. Silhouettes ran toward them around the smoldering train cars. Shepard squinted. It wasn't a company of guards. They were unarmored. Three figures …

Shepard spun around. "Kaidan, stop! NO!"

Blue flashed in a static explosion on the rail beside her. It burned in her eyes up the length of the tunnel as her skin stung and prickled with the roar. She staggered sideways against the wall covering her mouth. Blue flames crackled on the rails behind Kaidan as he stood with a pinched brow.

"Shepard?"

She gasped into her hand, shaking her head, and squeezing her eyes shut. Hands tightened on her shoulders, and his breath stirred the air against her face.

"What's going on?" he said, his voice close to her face. "Is it biotic fatigue?"

She squeezed her eyes tighter and shook her head again.

"Shepard?" he repeated.

"Shepard?" another voice said.

Shepard's eyes sprung open. Someone touched her ankle, and she looked down. Kaidan's hands fell away as Shepard spun around. Liara pulled herself up onto the narrow ledge and put a hand on Shepard's arm as she stood frozen staring at them. Miranda and James jogged up along the dark, dead metal rail. She followed it with her eyes to where it curled up in a dead metal loop across from the curled end of the burning blue rail. In the side of her vision, she could see Kaidan watching her and following her eyes. He put a hand on her back.

"It's all right," he said in a low voice.

"I thought …"

He gave a small half-smile and dropped his hand away. Shepard looked over her shoulder meeting Liara's big blue eyes. She squeezed Shepard's arm, and the armor crunched. A piece came away in Liara's hand. She stared wide eyed, mouth dropping open.

"Oh, Goddess. I'm so sorry."

She tried to pressed it back into place, but Shepard grabbed it and tossed it down on the rails.

"You're not that strong," Shepard said. "Just wish it had a warranty."

"Lola and L2. Alive." James put a hand against the tunnel wall and looked up at them.

"We heard gunshots," Liara said. "It let us hoped you were both still alive."

The air lifted with a static breeze and the rail flared brighter. Shepard snapped her head around to Kaidan.

"Turn the rail off. Quick."

He gave a sharp nod and dropped down next to the control panel. The screens on his Omni-Tool flashes fast under his darting fingers.

"They're sending another train?" Miranda asked moving around James to gaze down the tunnel.

"Hope not," James said. "We're on the speed bump."

"It feels like a train," Shepard said.

Kaidan moved through a screen on his Omni-Tool and glanced up. "There may have already been one the line behind this one."

"And it's rolling again?" Shepard asked putting a hand against the wall and staring down at him. "How long?"

He flipped something in the control panel, scrolled down his screen, and punched a button. The rail's blue light flashed out. A blue streak overlay the rest of her vision as she blinked in the tunnel's dim emergency lights.

"Fast," she said.

"Practiced," he said and stood.

Shepard bent and dropped off the ledge landing next to James.

"How was that tower looking?" she asked them. "Any drop in guard number? Shuttles leave?"

"Nada," James said.

"Then, if it's still worth getting to that tower," Shepard said, "we need to go now. Let's move out."

Kaidan and Liara hopped down from the ledge, and Shepard lead the way down the track toward the tower. They passed the last train car. The only evidence of their fight was the broken turret and some bits and pieces of armor, a few charred rifles crumbling apart.

"The guys you played with," James said, "they really get vaporized?"

"You don't see them, do you?" Shepard said.

"Uh, right."

They slowed as a gray outline appeared stopped on the tracks ahead.

"There was another train," Shepard said.

It stood silent and dark as they approached.

"Well, unless we're army crawling on our elbows under the rail, we're walking through it," Shepard said.

Shepard climbed up on the first car and broke through the side door.

"Where is everyone?" Liara asked.

"The train stopped the first time," Kaidan said, "they probably got out to check things out. Then the rail came back on."

James chuckled loading up into the first train car behind Kaidan. "Think the train ran over the ones hanging around in front?"

"More likely vaporized by the mass effect fields first," Liara said climbing up.

Shepard waited for everyone to get through the door then picked her way down the center aisle of the cars. She swung her gun back and forth through each new car, but nothing stirred. Benches lined the aisle, and Shepard ducked under the handholds looping down from the ceiling. She stepped over a pair of dead guards. They looked like wounded that the other train may have drug back and then left. She entered the last car and held up a hand.

"Get down! Back!"

Everyone ducked and scrambled back between the benches.

"Armed guards incoming," Shepard said. "Meters off. Less than a dozen."

"About time." James lifted his pistol.

Miranda scooted forward and drew her gun. "Action then."

In the back of the train car, Kaidan shifted and looked back down the aisle at something.

"Shepard," he whispered.

Shepard adjusted her shaky grip on the pistol. "What, Kaidan?"

"I have a different idea."

"What? No, hombre. Don't do this to me," James said. "You got some fun in, but I've got nothing."

Kaidan shot James a hard look. James fell silent. Kaidan turned back to Shepard.

"Shepard. Gunfire this close to the tower will only draw more. We'll never get there. James and Miranda aren't armored for this. We don't have the clips."

Miranada sighed and tapped the butt of her pistol on the commuter's bench but didn't say anything. Liara sat silently on her heels waiting.

"Your plan?" Shepard asked.

She darted a look over the rim of the back window. The guards were closer but still checking something on the rail. Maybe they were trying to figure out what happened. Shepard turned back to Kaidan.

He hunched over the two bodies Shepard had stepped over earlier. Shepard scuttled closer keeping low. A helmet seal clicked, and Kaidan twisted on his knee lofting up one of the guard's helmets. He tossed it to Shepard in a shallow arch. She caught it.

"You and me," Kaidan said turning back to the other body. "Sorry, James. Only two helmets."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Kaidan leaped from the train car into the gravel on the tracks behind the train. Shepard crunched down behind him. The armor rubbed his skin wrong, not a good fit and cheaply made, but it would work for what they needed. The guards on the line looked up as Shepard and Kaidan raced up to them.

"Hold up! Hold up!" a voice boomed in the back.

Rifles raised and gravel scattered under the guards' boots as they spread out into a line. Shepard glanced through the helmet's plexiglass at Kaidan. Kaidan edged a step ahead of her.

"Shield agents. Down the line," he said in a purposefully breathless voice.

"What?" A tall guard with the booming voice forward through the line of men. "The rail came back on. They're still alive on the rail?"

Kaidan's mind whirled. Between the biotic fatigue and the beginning of a migraine, he wasn't in top form for this sort of thing.

"Yes," Kaidan said simply. He tried to infuse it with some conviction.

The lead guard turned to one of his men. He'd seemed to accept it. Kaidan shifted as the chest piece dug in under his arms. He buried the itch to adjust it and glanced at Shepard. Her hand strayed to the punched-in hole below the collar on her breast plate. She drew her hand back quickly though and stood taller. None of the guards seemed to noticed the move. It still made him guilty - the flinch he'd gotten ramming the butt of his pistol against the N7. The condition of her crumbling armor had completely slipped his mind. His first strike went right through. Shepard hung back a step. Broken armor made sense from their supposed tangle with the Shields, but the pockmarked back might invite more questions. It had been either taking the helmet with her same suit, or James using the man's entire armor and the helmet. There'd been no question which way that was going.

"How'd the Shields survive the rail coming back up?" one of the guards asked.

The lead guard stopped mid-conversation and eyes Kaidan as he waited for the answer.

"The rail's broken," Kaidan said. "Only this side came back on. We're tried to slow them, but they went the other way toward the terminal."

"Come with us. You'll show us," the lead guard said. He found one of the guards at the back and tipped his head back toward the tower. "Go back. Get the others."

"Our group's straight ahead past this train, past the break in the rail. They'll show you," Kaidan said.

"What're you doing then if you're not coming back?" The man looked back and forth between him and Shepard.

"Sir." Shepard took a step forward addressing Kaidan. "We have to get that information to Mr. Tobin right away."

The lead guard frowned but finally sighed. "Fine, but one of you stays with us. It doesn't take two to deliver a message. Show us where your group's holed up."

Kaidan hesitated. "Of course."

"Where can I find Mr. Tobin?" Shepard asked the lead guard.

"Fourteenth," he said.

"Go ahead," Kaidan nodded to her. "I'll stay with them."

"Aye, aye, sir." She skipped off, keeping her back to the side wall, and cast a long look back at Kaidan.

The guard leader's eyes narrowed through the helmet's plexiglass as he watched Shepard go. He tapped the butt of his rifle and twisted to Kaidan.

"Sounded military," he said.

"Ah." Kaidan swallowed, feeling a little sweaty in the armor, and waved a hand in her direction. "Used to be Alliance."

"Huh." The helmet swiveled back to watch Shepard.

She was far enough down the line the light should be too dim to see the burns over her back. The man shrugged turning back and waved at Kaidan to lead them forward. As Kaidan turned away from her, he could see Shepard slow and turn on her heels in the distance. Kaidan lead them forward walking abreast with the lead guard.

They reached the steps up the train car. Kaidan moved aside to the lead guard go first, but he motioned inviting Kaidan to lead ahead. With a quick head bob, Kaidan grabbed the hand rail and pulled himself up into the train car.

He marched down the aisle counting to the pairs of boot steps stepping up into the train car. His finger tightened on the trigger of his pistol as the numbers grew, and he moved down the aisle. A flicker of movement caught Kaidan's eye to a bench ahead of him. He met Miranda's eyes as she pressed low to the floor by the seat. The eighth set of boots clomped up the stairs. Kaidan tipped his head back to the line follow him, and Miranda nodded. She motioned to James and Liara in the seats he's already passed. Kaidan stopped and turned. He raised his pistol and fired.

Gunfire erupted around the car as James and Miranda rose from the benches. Liara threw a man against the back wall. Shepard rushed up the steps leveling her own gun. The guards lay bloody puddles as Kaidan shoved his pistol away.

"Taken hostage, L2?"

A grin spread across James's face as he pulling a rifle out of the hands of a fallen guard. Miranda stood up from a seat oozing fluff from bullet holes.

"Single file line-up and surrounded? Hardly seemed sportsman-like," Miranda said.

"Just glad you remembered what my armor looked like," Kaidan said.

He lifted a pistol and clips off one of the guards and threw them to Miranda.

"No women," Miranda sighed looking around at the bodies. "This group doesn't practice affirmative action."

"Shepard, you okay with your armor?" Kaidan hesitated.

"Yeah. This is working. Let's go."

Kaidan picked his way around the bodies. Liara stood up from a body and shoved two rifles at him. He tossed one to Shepard and gave Liara a quick nod.

"So, uh … keep 'em coming." James grinned.

He aimed his rifle at the train's ceiling fired a burst of bullets into the air. Miranda fired three pistols shots into the floor.

"There," she said. "Draw more in. The action continues."

"You're on your own with the next wave," Kaidan said.

"No problem," James said. "Didn't need to come back for this one, except they had you by the balls, L2."

"Fifteen minutes," Shepard said. "Then head back. They send men from the direction of the train station, you'll be trapped. Get to the extraction site, meet Joker."

"Got it," Liara said.

"And it will be men they send," Miranda mused firing a few more shots into the floor. "Sexist organization."

James picked at one of the dead men's armor. "This could fit."

Shepard hopped off the train car steps.

"Don't forget the kid," Kaidan said pointing at James before he leaped down behind her.

They darted down the tunnel. Light brightened ahead of them as they neared the tower's train platform. It swarmed with guards and people in street clothes moving boxes and putting on armor. A warehouse crowded with trains stood at the very end of the line just beyond the platform.

Kaidan and Shepard rushed up the dead rail to the edge of the platform. Shepard crawled up with Kaidan just behind her. Kaidan gawked around them as he pushed to his feet. Another train was already waiting further down the platform. Optimistically, guards were loading inside. Control panels along the wall were torn apart exposing wires and blinking buttons. Omni-tools glowed on the arms of three men in street clothes as they huddled around the panels. Probably engineers. Guards charged over to Kaidan and Shepard as shots echoed through the tunnel behind them.

"What's happening?" a guard demanded.

"We've got them pinned down past the train," Shepard said.

The guard eyed Shepard first and then Kaidan. "Why'd you come back?"

"Important information to deliver up top," Kaidan said.

"Both of you?"

"I need to talk to Tobin," Kaidan said. "She's getting off on the ground floor. Needs to wrangle the engineers at the station. Get the rail working on that end. We'll have them pinned that way."

"Who's them?"

"The Shields," Shepard said.

"The Shields?" The guard barked orders at the others and waved the men out of the train. "We haven't been able to raise anyone on the radio."

"Still getting transient charge interference off the rail line. They're pretty deep in the tunnel," Kaidan said. "But they sent us back so we could tell you. We've got to keep going though."

"Of course, of course. You three, over here, and you! Come with me." The man darted around them gathering an armed group, presumably to head down the tunnel.

Kaidan moved through the crowd to the elevator. The bickering voices of the men crowded around the control panels drew his eye. His feet slowed.

"Damnit," he hissed to Shepard.

Shepard leaned into him keeping her voice low. "Can they reactivate it from here?"

"Possible," Kaidan said under his breath.

There was a single elevator, and Kaidan watched the digital numbers count down above the elevator doors. He kept the engineers in the side of his vision as armed men rushed around them - three of them and no one seemed to be in charge of them. The engineer nearest them had the X-Tavig program running. His fingers spread across the control panel and lingered on the rail's traction coupler. Shepard tapped her fingers on the butt of her rifle and paced next to him watching the elevator doors.

"No one noticed that only men went into the tunnel, but a woman came out," Shepard said quietly.

"Just be glad no one's putting it together," Kaidan murmured. He eyed her through the glass of his helmet. "If that rail turns on …"

"Think these guys'll figure it out in the next fifteen minutes? They haven't so far."

"We need more than fifteen minutes." Kaidan shifted. "Less than fifteen minutes, they die in a train crash. Twenty, thirty minutes - they're vaporized on the rail as they're retreating."

"What do we do about it?" Shepard tapped her foot.

The engineer with the X-Tavig program touched his comm. "Get those damn soldiers off the rail. We're getting this rail back up, and we're not waiting. Got hundreds here we need to move out."

Shepard studied the engineers with narrowed eyes. Kaidan gripped the rifle tighter, but he wouldn't get away with anything here, even in this chaos with no one in charge, guards running on and off the train, jumping down onto the track, radioing, and shouting. The elevator chimed.

"It's here," Kaidan said.

The elevator doors slid open. Five guards burst out the door with rifles clutched to their chest. One yelled out orders as he cleared the elevator and waved at the men waiting on the rail line. Kaidan caught the elevator door before it closed and turned to Shepard. Her eyes were fixed on the engineers.

"Shep—"

"Hey," Shepard called to the engineers taking a step forward. "We need all of you. Right now. Up to the fourteenth. Mister Tobin's orders."

The engineer who'd used his comm turned to her. "What?" His eyes looked her up and down with a growing smirk. "Who're you?"

Tattered armor crumbling away in the back probably wasn't the best sign of authority. Kaidan stepped up beside her.

"Right now! All of you. It's an emergency." Kaidan rushed back to the elevator and caught the doors again. "Now!"

Shepard nodded and waved. "Come on! Come on!"

Two of the engineers stood and turned off their Omni-Tools. The third one with the fading smirk just stared at them. Shepard strode over and hauled him up by the arm.

"Let's go."

She shoved him into the elevator behind the other two. Kaidan stepped in beside her, slinging the rifle over his back, and keeping his hand near the pistol at his side. She jammed the elevator button for the fourteen floor.

"What's this about?" said the engineer Shepard had manhandled into the elevator. "What's Tobin want with us?"

"If I knew, I would have said," Shepard snapped.

The other two engineers seemed less concerned. One leaned against the wall with arms crossed, while the other studied something on his Omni-Tool. The third one though - the one that had been running the right program and hassling Shepard - he looked them straight in the eye. His eyes strayed to Kaidan's hand on the pistol. The elevator slowed to a stop, and Shepard bumped Kaidan's elbow nodding up at the floor number. They were stopping on the ground floor.

"Who are you?" the engineer continued to press. "You seem like an odd pair. And you, what happened to your armor?"

The elevator doors slid apart. A man in a suit and tie with three armored guards stepped in. He reached to the floor buttons and paused with his finger over the glowing fourteen. He drew his hand back with a frown and glanced over his shoulder at Kaidan. The squinty, little eyes under those bushy eyebrows and that bulbous nose - it was Sten Harper. They'd nearly cornered in the raid outside Prague before the city sirens went off. The metalic doors slid closed and the elevator began to move again.

Harper's bald head glinted in the elevator light as he turned to them. "You're going to fourteen?"

"Yes, sir," Kaidan said.

Harper eyed the engineers. "Why?"

The fussy engineer answered. "Agent Tobin needs us, apparently."

"Really?" Harper's furry eyebrows rose and he hit the stop button on the elevator. "Identification, everyone."

Harper motioned to the guards with him, and they turned on their Omni-Tool's blue light. The engineers dug around in their pockets, and Shepard reached into the utility belt on her waist. Kaidan's pulse quickened. He hadn't told her about the blue light, to not use her ID card. He eyed the rifles as his fingers felt the two cards in his pocket, the ones he'd taken off the bodies at the theater. Neither would be female, but one had an androgynous name, if he remembered right. Jamie or something. The guards waved the blue light over the engineer's cards, and Shepard held her ID card out between her fingertips.

"What happened to your armor?" Harper asked pointing to the widening cracks up her forearm.

"Down on the rail, sir," Shepard said.

A guard wedged around the engineers to Kaidan and Shepard and reached out for her ID. Kaidan stepped to the side as if making space.

Harper frowned. "But the rail—"

Kaidan stumbled against Shepard stripping the card from her hand. It slapped onto the floor as she tripped over a step to regain her balance. She sank to the floor fumbling for it.

"Sorry. Here." He bent down.

The dropped ID card was already curled in palm before he caught her eye. He twisted a new card out in his fingertips, but shadows moved over them watching. They stood.

"Here. Sorry again. "Kaidan thrust her the new ID card.

The guard sighed and waited as Shepard grasped it in one hand while clenching the old ID in her other hand. Shepard's brow pinched as she looked down at the card as she extended it. Her thumb slipped over the picture. The nosey engineer leaned in closer as it fluoresced under the guard's blue light. Kaidan released a tight breath and held out his own card. The guard nodded when it fluoresced. The engineer shoved the guard aside and snatched the card from Shepard's hand.

"Jason?" he said.

"What?" Harper frowned.

"This card says her name is 'Jason.'"

Harper snatched it away. Shepard's looked sideways at Kaidan from the very edge of the helmet's plexiglass. He cleared his throat.

"We must have mixed our cards up when yours dropped." Kaidan thrust his own card into Shepard's hand. With a helmet on, he may get away with another man's picture, but Shepard wouldn't. Even with the name fixed, any real scrutiny and they'd have problems.

The engineer lunged for the card, but Shepard elbowed him back.

"Give it here," Harper said and put out his hand.

She let the engineer snap it out of her fingertips. Ice glinted in Harper's eyes as he looked between them. The engineer turned the card over and looked at the picture. One of the guards stepped in to see while clutching the rifle higher on his chest. Kaidan's hand strayed to his pistol.

"Alice Wester," Shepard said.

The engineer lowered the card. "Oh."

Alice Wester? Kaidan frowned. His eyes flickered to her hand hanging at her side. She let a card peek through her fingers and glanced at him before curling her hand around it again. She'd given them her first card with the real picture. As far as everyone in the elevator knew, it had passed the blue light test when Kaidan had held it out. He stifled a grin watching her out of the corner of his eye.

Harper punched the elevator button, and it moved again as he turned back to the door.

"We still don't know if this is her," the engineer said. "Take your helmet off."

The elevator chimed on the fourteenth floor and the doors opened. A long hallway still under reconstruction stretched in front of them. Two guards, a man and woman, stood mid-way down the hall slouching against the wall. Kaidan squinted to make out the subtle sheen of their kinetic shields, but couldn't see anything. Getting a little complacent on the fourteenth floor, apparently.

One of Harper's guards held the elevator door but didn't let anyone pass. Harper turned to Shepard expectantly.

"Well?" the engineer asked.

The two engineers in the back peeked between the guards at the hall but stayed against the back of the elevator.

Kaidan shook his head. "This is unnecessary. We need to talk to—"

"No," Harper said folding his arms. "You can do your business in a second. Let's clear this all up. You, Wester, remove your helmet like Smith suggested."

Harper must know the engineer then. That explained some of it. Maybe they'd worked together before. The engineer tapped Shepard's ID card in his palm and grinned. Shepard reached up to her helmet and twisted it with a click. Her hair fell out as she lifted the helmet off and tucked it under her arm as she always did.

The engineer held the card up with a critical eye. He shrugged. He held it out for Harper to compare, but Harper was staring at Shepard. His folded arms loosened and then dropping to his side with wide eyes.

He stumbled back. "It's Command—"

Shepard lurched forward and struck him in the mouth. Kaidan flare blue and yanked the two hallway guards into the elevator with a blue burst. They slammed into the backs of the Harper's guards standing in the elevator's doorway with raising rifles. The guards smashed into Kaidan, and they tumbled into a heap against the back wall. A scream squeaked from Harper's mouth as Shepard grabbed him by the jaw and threw him back onto the pile of squirming bodies. She slapped the elevator's close button. A guard reached out to stop the door, but Shepard stomped on his arm with a loud crunch. He wailed as the doors slid shut.

Bodies strained against each other, shoving and grappling to get upright. A shot fired from somewhere in the jumbled heap, but no one cried out. Kaidan pushed himself up against the wall and reached out with his Omni-Tool glowing. Guns clicked and heat sinks blinked. A hand grasped his leg. With a flash, it stiffened with frost, and Kaidan pulled free.

The two engineers standing wide eyed against the wall groped with their Omni-Tools. Shepard rammed the back of her arm across their throats and tossed them onto pile of moving bodies. The third engineer with Shepard's ID card slunk against the wall and reached to the floor buttons. Shepard slammed him into the wall with her shoulder.

Guards struggled to their feet clawing at Kaidan. One of them flashed with a crust frost sealing his eyes. He froze in place pinning the guard under him. The pinned guard flailed as Kaidan clutched his helmet in both hands. He wrenched the head sideways with a pop.

The elevator began to move. Kaidan twisted and smashed a fist into the guard pressing the floor numbers. The strike broke through the man's plexiglass face shield, and he crumpled against the wall. The elevator number overhead read twelve. Kaidan jammed the same number on the floor key, and the elevator chimed coming to a stop. The doors slid open and bodies flapped out onto the broken linoleum of a dark hallway.

Harper clawed out of the elevator and tore to his feet. He touched something in his ear. Kaidan stumbled over a guard in the elevator doorway, but Harper was already halfway down the hall.

"This is—"

A flying helmet took him in the back of the head. He slammed face-first into the floor as Shepard's helmet spun around on the linoleum next to him. She leaped over the elevator's pile of bodies as he pushed up on his hands. He reached for his ear, and Shepard grabbed him by the back of the head. The Omni-blade went clear through his chest in a blood spray. She dropped him and turned back to Kaidan panting. He could hardly see her through the light flashing across his vision. The room spun, and he grappled for the elevator wall. He fell down against the wall with a heavy thud as footsteps beat over to him. He blinked frantically at the oil darkening his vision as pain exploded through his head.

"You okay?" It sounded fuzzy, distant.

XXX

Kaidan stared up at a metal ceiling. He drew in a sharp breath and sat up slowly. The world twirled under him, and he felt for the wall. He slid back against it and resting his head. A helmet - his helmet - sat on the floor beside him. He was in an elevator.

"Kaidan!" Shepard's voice.

The body of a guard propped open the elevator doors in front of him. Kaidan lifted his head and squinted past the body down the dark hallway – broken linoleum, ripped walls, insulation spilling out of charred drywall. Shepard dropped a pair of armored legs with a clunk. Harper's body lay crumpled in the hallway next to three engineers. The only body left in the elevator appeared to only be a door stop. The elevator still read twelve above the door. Shepard jogged down the hall and slid down on her knees next to him.

"You all right?"

"Yeah." He touched his forehead with a wince. "How—how long?"

"Only a few minutes." Her wide eyes searched his face. "Do you remember?"

"Yes." He pulled himself up on the elevator's railing.

Shepard stood back. "You're really okay?"

"Yeah, I'm …" His head felt light, and he braced against the wall letting it pass.

"Not instilling me with confidence here, Kaidan."

"I'm okay."

The world still sloshed around him, but it was settling. His head hurt like hell, but he could think and that was something. The world sharpened around him. A frown deepened the corners of Shepard's mouth until he met her eye and released the railing. He didn't fall.

"Piece of advice," Shepard said. "Heard it somewhere today. Don't push the biotics."

Kaidan massaged his temple and nodded.

"Better than dying, right?" he said.

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

"I heard it somewhere today."

Shepard's lips curled up, and she gripped his arm roughly. "You're okay."

"That's what I said, Commander."

She backed up a step still smiling at him and kicked the guard out of the elevator doorway.

"Your armor …" Kaidan said.

"A hand-me-down I found. Like it?"

She faced him with hands on her hips as the doors slid shut behind her.

"They're your colors," Kaidan said.

Shepard punched the button for the fourteenth floor. "Black and gray, huh?"

"No 'N7' though."

"Skipped on it this time. Couldn't risk you busting a hole in my new armor."

A grin strained her cheeks as the elevator came to a stop. The smile and tilt in her voice warmed his blood, but he caught himself. At one time, it would have burned through his veins, made his pulse throb with adrenaline and excitement, come alive in a heady nostalgia, and drunk with that feeling in chest he couldn't quite describe. A feeling that told him he only ever truly lived when he was with her. But that was over now, and the smile in her eyes he tried weakly to return chilled his blood all the way to the heart. He fixed his eyes ahead and snapped on his helmet.

The elevator doors opened to an empty white hallway. Kaidan gave the elevator a once over as they stepped out. He'd worked to avoid blood. It looked clean enough as the doors slid shut. The rooms lining the hallway looked half renovated with unpainted sheetrock and dangling light bulbs. Muffled voices came from the double doors at the end of the hall.

"That must be the meeting," Shepard said pointing ahead.

"What's the plan? We're the two hallway guards now?"

"Yep."

The elevator hummed and the digital numbers counted down above the elevator door.

"Hope that delay didn't upset anyone," Shepard said.

"Right."

"And I also hope they don't stop on the twelfth floor."

Kaidan didn't say anything. Shepard slapped his shoulder and gripped it for a moment.

"You really all right?"

"Yes."

Shepard nodded and twisted on her heels. "All right then. Let's go take a listen."

They moved down the hall. The voices grew louder but were still indistinct as they approached. Shepard took her helmet off and pressed the side of her face against the door. Her brows furrowed, and she pulled back.

"Can't hear anything," she whispered. "Ideas?"

Kaidan pointed up. "Ducts."

"Ducts?" Shepard smirked. "Getting nostalgic for the good ole days crawling around the theater ductwork and eavesdropping on terrorists?"

"The ventilation system looks like it's been restored. We could access it from one of the rooms."

Shepard pursed her lips and nodded. "And when the meeting ends? They could be alarmed over missing their two guards."

"I'll cover. You go."

"You only make one guard, not two, Kaidan."

"I can count."

"Then?"

"Then, I'll cover. One guard is still better than nothing. If they ask, I'll think of something."

Shepard smirked at him. "You know, you have a real knack for BSing. Didn't know it as in you, Kaidan. Pretty impressed. That said, I'll leave you to your work."

She paused as if waiting for him to say something. He strolled over to the far wall and hefted his assault rifle up against this chest.

"Better go, Commander."

"Yes. Right …"

She darted through an open doorway down the hall. The numbers climbed upward on the screen above the elevator – 10, 11, 12, 13 ... Kaidan scanned the hallway quickly but nothing looked out of place. He took a deep breath and stood taller. The elevator chimed.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Shepard kicked in the vent with a metal pop. She set her helmet against the wall and shined her Omni-Tool light inside. It was a vertical duct. Her hair caught in the rough plaster as she ducked her head through the hole and shinned her light up at the hollow metal shaft. She wasn't getting up that way. She pulled back.

The vertical vent probably connected to something horizontal overhead. A vented panel among the ceiling tiles drew her eye. She grabbed a metal folding chair splattered with dried paint that leaned against the wall. The vent popped right up, and she lifted herself up. The metal popped under the weight of her armor as she squeezed into the duct. Navigating narrow ductwork while wearing armor was going to be … interesting.

Voices. Shepard froze. They were coming from the room below, probably projected in from the hallway. Kaidan had company then. The voices weren't raised, and there weren't any loud sounds to indicate a scuffle. He was okay.

Passing the gap where the vertical shaft connected up the wall, the duct split two directions – ahead and to her right. Shepard shined her flashlight in both directions. Either direction stood the same chance of being right, or being wrong. It wouldn't be easy turning in a tight space with armor on, so forward it was. The metal dented under her armored knees with a snap and pop as she scooted forward. She cringed. It felt like fireworks announcing her overhead.

She'd chosen the right direction, apparently. Voice echoed down the duct as she neared the light from an open vent. Through the slivers in the vent, she could see what looked like a boardroom. Despite train crashes, gunfire, and bomb theft the meeting was still going on. It must be one hell of a meeting. The room's door slid open and footsteps came in. It was probably whoever was in the hallway talking to Kaidan.

"What's going on?" A balding head stood up from the table. "Anything new?"

"Attacks have stopped," the voice as the door slid shut.

"Any idea who?" another man at the table said. He was out of sight.

"Not sure. Could be Alliance."

"No," a new voice said. "We would have heard. There's been nothing on that front."

Shepard angled to see the speaker through the vent. The voice was familiar. He was too far to the side.

"Since our Alliance constituent isn't here, how do we know?" the balding man said.

"I'm representing them," the familiar voice said. "If they know, I know. This attack isn't Alliance."

"Council then?" a woman's voice suggested.

"Unlikely," the balding man said. "Haven't heard anything from contacts there. They know something, of course. Not this though and not about the warheads."

"What the hell are we going to do without them now?" the woman said.

"Gun and grenades. We have the people. It'll be a little more bloody and 'boots on the ground' is all," some new voice at the table said. "If the Shields did take them, they'll pay. But after. Our focus should be here."

"Anyway …" the familiar voice said as a chair skidded back on the vinyl flooring. "If the attacks are over, then I'm taking my ride out of here."

"Discuss this with your people. The information on that chip …" the bald man said.

"I know. Only to him. Don't worry."

A shadow passed the row of heads around the table. Shepard still couldn't get an angle on him. Whatever that chip was, she needed it. She'd missed the whole meeting, apparently.

"Scorpion's still leaving tomorrow after the attacks?" the female voice asked.

"Delivering like promised," the familiar voice said. "Leaving it to us. We're ready for the uprising."

"Ready for the uprising," the bald man repeated.

The door to the room slid open again. She'd better go. She scooted back. The duct popped.

"What was that?" the familiar voice said.

Shepard froze.

"Shuttle's waiting, sir." It was Kaidan's voice.

Shepard scuttled backward. Damn the popping, she needed to get out. Voices talked over each other as chairs pushed back. She shuffled backward down the duct and carefully went over the opening for the horizontal vent shaft. The metal folding chair as still below the ceiling vent. She dropped down with a clack. It wobbled underneath, and she leaped off stumbling into a run. She'd already taken too much time getting back.

Shadows moved in the hallway as she approached the doorway. She pulled a strand of hair from her mouth and stopped short. Feeling her face, she whipped her head back to the room. Her helmet sat on the floor against the wall. She rushed over and grabbed it.

Two figures moved past the open doorway. One of them was Kaidan. Shepard popped into the hallway behind them still clicking her helmet into place. Kaidan spun around.

"Here's the pilot," he said.

A man stopped in the hall a step ahead of Kaidan. Wisps of teased hair fluttered as he snapped around with pressed lips and sized her up. Shepard's eyes widened.

"Where the damn hell you been?" he said.

"Uh …"

The voice was familiar. The man put a hand on his hip and stared at her flatly. The narrow purple tie, the manicured eyebrows, the crisp white collar turned up only slightly as if on accident instead of pretention - it was Wilson's secretary, Anthony or something. Shepard caught Kaidan's eye through the helmet's plexiglass.

"You're supposed to waiting here to take me back," Anthony said and gave Shepard a head bobbing stare. "We couldn't find you."

"Uh, sorry, sir. Bathroom."

Anthony frowned. "Tell him where you're going next time." He pointed a thumb at Kaidan. "We've been very put out over this."

Kaidan's helmet nodded, and Anthony sighed.

"The plumbing up here isn't even restored," Anthony added.

"Found that out, sir," Shepard said.

"Then, we still have to wait for you to go downstairs?" Anthony huffed.

"Nope."

Anthony's face pinched. "Then …"

"Can't fight nature, sir. You answer."

Anthony's lips retracted, and he shot a sideways look at Kaidan. Kaidan shrugged.

"That's … Regardless. Let's just go," Anthony said.

People Shepard didn't recognize looped around them to the elevator. They all loaded inside. A few shadows stood back in the boardroom with whispering voices. Shepard craned her neck and squinted but couldn't make any of them out.

"Come on!" Anthony called from down the hall. He was already on his way to the elevator with Kaidan on his heels.

Shepard sprinted up behind them. Anthony slowed and fell in beside Kaidan as they walked.

"You have to work with her much?" Anthony whispered.

"All the time."

Anthony clicked his tongue and glanced back at her.

"Damn." He leaned into Kaidan as they came to a stop facing the elevator. "Maybe they can move some people around. Mention my name. Anthony Mirrez. Should do it for you."

"I can hear you." Shepard leaned forward.

Anthony turned a scrunched face and gave her a pointed glare. He turned back.

"Damn obnoxious," he muttered to Kaidan.

"You're telling me," Kaidan said.

The elevator chimed and slid open. Anthony watched her coolly as she stepped in behind them. She shuffled around behind them and folded her arms. Kaidan pressed the button for the roof.

"She's not a very good pilot," Kaidan whispered.

Anthony glanced back at her with a critical sneer.

"I could pilot," Kaidan said quietly. "I'm certified. Not my official role, but … you know."

Anthony leaned into him and thumbed back at her. "Let's dump her then. Send her back."

"I don't think we can do that. They wanted you to have two - one guard, one pilot, sir."

The elevator stopped and the doors slid open onto a cement roof. The breeze brushed over them, clean and cool with the sundown. A shuttle with front doors and back hatch stood in the center of the roof.

"You." Anthony turned to Shepard. "You're on guard duty. And you, uh …" He turned to Kaidan.

"Jacobs, sir."

"Jacobs is piloting. You've been demoted. Your dereliction and all."

"Fine." Shepard plodded over to the shuttle and threw open the side door. "After you."

"Attitude," Anthony tsked and stepped up into the shuttle.

He settled into the back seat. Shepard slammed the door shut and spun to Kaidan.

"What the hell, Jacobs?"

"Do you know how to fly a …" Kaidan looked past her, "Odik 750 series shuttle?"

Shepard narrowed her eyes and turned on her heels.

"Fine." She crossed around the front of the shuttle. "But I hate you, Jacobs. You're an ass."

"Hey, Anthony and I feel the same about you. And you're nameless."

Kaidan opened the driver's hatch and clicked it closed behind him. Shepard wrenched open the passenger side door. Kaidan was turned in his seat talking to Anthony.

"Just some lip," Kaidan finished saying before turning forward again.

Shepard looked behind her seat at Anthony. His eyes met hers and narrowed into thin slits. Next time she was in Wilson's office, she was going to give the most outrageous coffee order anyone's ever heard. Something smacked into her chest. Her hands grabbed it reflexively. It was a rifle. Kaidan pulled his hand back.

"You're on guard duty," he said.

Anthony's head nodded in the windshield's reflection. Shepard's hands tightened on the rifle, and she glanced over at Kaidan. He moved screens into position, but paused with a frown. He flashed her a look. Shepard twisted in her seat to face Anthony.

"Where to again?" she asked.

Anthony released a puff of air. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I wasn't told," Shepard said.

"Told! You damn well were told. I heard them arranging it when I first got here. Now Jacobs might not have heard. But then, he wasn't the bloody damn pilot."

Shepard's teeth clenched. "I'm—"

"Just go," Anthony said. "It's Alliance Head—"

"Headquarters," Kaidan finished and adjusted a button on the side panel.

The shuttle lifted.

"See," Anthony said. "He wasn't even the pilot. He knew."

Shepard rested back in her seat with a heavy thunk. A news vid flicked in the windshield's reflection as Anthony bent over his Omni-Tool. The low murmur of voices mixed with the hum of the engine. Anthony smiled and touched his ear as he stared at the screen. Shepard laid the rifle across her knees.

"Fair warning, Jacobs – I'm probably too stupid to know how to use the safety."

"I took the clip out."

Shepard flipped the rifle over. She ran a finger along the bottom of the stock then froze. She tapped a fingernail on the clip.

"Oh, ha, ha." Shepard flipped it back around in her hands.

"Be careful with that!" Anthony hollered from the backseat. "That's not a toy, Guard."

"Guard?" She twisted in her seat. "It's Alice Wester. I'm not nameless."

She shot Kaidan a pointed look. Anthony stared dully at her for a moment then turned back to his vid.

"Someone's going to need to guard him from _me_ ," Shepard muttered as she turned forward.

"What's she saying up there, Jacobs?"

"She doesn't know how to use the safety, sir."

"What?" Anthony bolted upright in his seat.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Shepard slid the shuttle door closed. She followed Anthony with her eyes until he disappeared behind the sliding doors into Alliance HQ.

"Okay." Shepard tore off her helmet. "Cortez?"

"Here," he whispered and jogged out of the shadows just off the landing pad. He tossed something at her. She caught it.

"Uh, thanks."

"Energy drink," Cortez said. "The Major messaged me."

"Right. Thanks." She tore off the lid.

Kaidan snapped open the pilot's hatch and hopped out. He'd already removed his gauntlets, and he shoved his helmet at Cortez. Cortez set an energy drink on the pavement by Kaidan's feet and inspected the helmet.

"Don't know if this will fit," Cortez said eyeing Kaidan up and down.

"You only have to wear it long enough to return the shuttle. Then meet Joker where I told you," Kaidan said.

"Hurry up," Shepard called.

"Go. I'll catch up," Kaidan said.

He still had his leg guards on. Shepard tossed her helmet into the back of the shuttle and rushed over to him.

"Need help?"

"No. I'll catch up."

"I can help him," Cortez said. "Go."

"All right." Shepard put her hands up and skipped backward. "I'm on the comm."

"I won't be that far behind," Kaidan said and wrenched off an arm cuff.

Cortez bent and helped with the armor on Kaidan's legs. Shepard sprinted to the sliding doors.

Anthony had entered Alliance HQ's leadership wing, a good sign they were getting close to something. Dim night-time lighting lit the hallway as Shepard slipped along the bleached walls. She slipped around the sofas and tables. A door whooshed open somewhere her left. She bolted down that hall.

At the end of the hall, a door slid shut. The center button lit up as it sealed shut. It turned red. Shepard skid to a stop in front of the door. This wasn't an area she'd been in before. A keypad glowed on the wall beside the door. Shepard lingered over it. This was the Alliance's wing, but she tried a Spectre code anyway. It gave a flat beep. The light still glowed red.

There was nothing to be done but try the control panel then. Shepard brought up her Omni-Tool and sank to her knees with a sigh. She could be here all night. The control panel's cover was sealed on tighter than normal. She clawed at the edge until her fingers got some traction. She dug her fingers in and pulled. A shadow moved overhead. A hand slapped over hers. She looked into Kaidan's face.

"Don't." He lifted his hand away. "They're censored for tampering."

He stood up.

"What the hell is this door? I've never seen it here," Shepard said rising to her feet.

"Security doors. They close at night. Seal off the back offices."

"You spend a lot of time here at night? How do you know that?"

He shrugged and hovered a hand over the glowing keypad.

"I already tried that," Shepard said.

Kaidan frowned at the floor as if concentrating. Shepard sighed and ran her hands over the metal doors. Seemed heavy duty. Kaidan looked up sharply and punched in five numbers. It chirped and turned green.

"Let's go."

Kaidan rushed to the widening crack between the security doors.

"How …" Shepard frowned.

Kaidan darted through the doors.

"Wait," Shepard called.

Shepard slipped between the doors and sped after him. Here, the hallway finally looked familiar. Office doors lined the hallway. That was Rear Admiral Peter's office to the right.

"We're in the executive wing," Shepard said catching up to him. "How did you know the code?"

"I remembered it."

"Remembered it? From when?"

"From the shadow broker."

Her stomach twisted.

"Interesting choice for pillow talk," she said.

He gave her a sharp look out of the corner of his eyes, and his jaw tightened. A hardness glinted in his eye that she hadn't seen in a long time. Her throat constricted, and his eyes shifted forward again. Shepard scrambled to keep up with him.

"I'm just ribbing you, Kaidan. Liara told you the codes?" she said.

"Something like that," he muttered but his voice had an edge to it now.

They skid to a stop at a hallway intersection. No sign of Anthony any direction. The only sound was their breathing and the fluorescent hum of the economy lights casting a greenish tinge over the white walls.

"Admiral Wilson's office is straight ahead," Shepard said.

She plunged down the hallway.

"I never found anything on Wilson's terminal," Kaidan said catching up to her.

"So maybe he's not an idiot."

"Or, maybe he's not the one we're looking for."

Shepard slowed and turned on him. "You have a better direction then?"

"Let's split up. We'll cover more ground."

"And if something happens?" Shepard asked.

"You hear gunfire, come running."

"Uh huh," Shepard said then raised her voice like an orator. "Today we remember Kaidan Alenko. 'Let's split up,' he said. 'We'll cover more ground,' he said.'"

"Don't belittle me, Shepard."

"Oh, come on. No armor, no barrier, biotic fatigue? It's not a good idea."

Kaidan stepped in closer and there was some heat in his voice. "Shepard, I don't need your—"

"What are you two doing here?" a voice boomed.

Shepard spun around and knocked into a potted palm. Kaidan lurched and steadied it. The bottom of the pot clapped back to the floor as Admiral Wilson stormed toward them. Shepard raised her eyebrows at Kaidan.

"Coincidence?" she said under her breath.

Kaidan frowned.

"It's the middle of the night," Wilson said stopping in front of them. "These offices are off limits to unassigned personnel during afterhours. Neither of you is an admiral correct?"

Wilson focused the heat of his glare on Kaidan. Smoke almost curled from the space between Kaidan's eyes.

Kaidan squared off with him. "Working late, Admiral?"

"Are you refusing to answer my question, Alenko?"

Wilson's eyes burned as he stepped up closer to Kaidan. An Alliance brass who hated Kaidan more than her. This was a novelty.

"Admiral Wilson," Shepard said. "We're assisting the Council with something."

Wilson glared over at her. "In the middle of the night? In the Alliance Executive wing?"

"Yes, and yes."

Wilson eyed her up and down with narrowing eyes. He turned a critical eye to Kaidan's clothing. They were an odd pair - Shepard dressed in ill-fitting armor and Kaidan in a tank top and black denim. He didn't even have his hoody anymore.

"In here, Spectre authority doesn't supersede Alliance authority," Wilson said.

"We're—" A sound made her cut herself off.

She listened putting up a hand to stop Wilson as he opened his mouth.

"Was that a door?" Shepard looked at Kaidan.

"I didn't hear it," Kaidan said.

Wilson put his hands on his hips. "Someone could be working late. Authorized personnel with clearance are allowed to access these offices."

"It was down the hall," Shepard said.

"Let's go." Kaidan nodded that direction.

Wilsons's eyes widened as they hurtled past him. His feet pounded up the hall behind them.

"Listen up!"

Shepard stopped short and rounded on him. "Shsh. Just listen, Admiral. Please."

She could be cloyingly respectful if she had a mind to. It seemed to take some fire out of Wilson's eyes, but Kaidan just crossed his arms with a tight expression. Apparently, he had no intention of making up to the admiral.

"Okay," Shepard said keeping her voice low. "Kaid—Major Alenko and I are following someone with information we need to intercept. Something for an attack tomorrow at the Summit. The attack is real, not rumor. He's meeting with a panel of Terra Firma's leaders and the Scorpion. If Alliance officers are involved, we need to find out who they are."

Wilson's face blanked. He looked between them. Finally, he cleared his throat and nodded.

"I saw my assistant in the hallway. It seemed out of place," he said.

"Who else is still here?" Shepard said.

"I'm not sure. I've been in my office."

She met Kaidan's eye and tipped her head down the hall. Wilson fell in behind them. This wasn't what she expected, but it could be useful. Kaidan couldn't know all the door codes. At least, she didn't think so.

"Voices," Kaidan said.

"That's a conference room up ahead," Wilson said.

They rushed to the metal door with the muffled voices and movement. Shepard pressed her ear to it.

"That didn't work before," Kaidan whispered.

"It's a different door," Shepard said. She pulled back. "Same outcome though. You're right."

"You don't want to …" Kaidan's eyes moved to the ceiling.

"Not this time," Shepard said.

It sounded like a lot of different voices inside. She couldn't hear words, just the bass-like undertones. One voice pitched higher than the rest - Anthony's.

"Sounds like a good-sized group," Kaidan said.

Admiral Wilson shifted on his feet and glanced around them. His eyes rested on Shepard waiting. He was waiting for her directions then. An odd turn of events. Out of all the strange companions she'd had, Admiral Wilson was definitely near the top. Shepard smirked over at Kaidan, but he didn't meet her eye and continued to gaze at the door.

"Okay," Shepard said moving her eyes from Kaidan to include Wilson. Kaidan's eyes flickered to Wilson and his mouth stiffened, but he didn't say anything. Kaidan had been advocating for Wilson not being involved only a few minutes ago, but apparently that didn't extend into wanting him at their six.

"I saw Anthony leave with a datachip," Shepard said. "He's supposed to hand it off to someone, maybe the Scorpion. We need to know who's in that room and get that datachip."

"How big's this datachip?" Wilson leaned deeper into their huddle.

"It's a normal datachip. Size of your thumb."

"Anthony will destroy it before he gives it over," Wilson said.

"Then I'll shoot him," Shepard said holding her pistol up.

"Oh." Wilson glanced at it.

He fumbled for his own pistol. It was probably clogged with dust. Kaidan must have been thinking the same thing. He grabbed a spare clip from his belt and shoved it in Wilson's hand.

"How old's that clip?" Kaidan said.

Wilson narrowed his eyes. "Implying something, Alenko?"

"Not implying," Kaidan said. "You've been at a desk for over a year. Unless you've changed out clips in that time, I'd do it now."

Wilson stared back at him. "I go to the firing range, Major."

"Stop," Shepard said. "We're going in, so get ready."

Kaidan gave a sharp nod, wrapped both hands around his pistol, and pressed his back against the side of the door. Shepard moved to the door's keypad.

"Admiral …" Shepard turned expectantly. She frowned. "What are you doing?"

Wilson slung his clip down the hallway and popped in the spare. He caught them watching him.

"I go to the firing range with a different weapon."

Kaidan snorted turning his head back to the door and flexing his fingers across the butt of his gun. A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth, and Wilson's nostrils flared.

"Here." Shepard tossed him another clip. He grabbed it. "Spare. Now, let's go. Open the door, Admiral."

Wilson tore his eyes off Kaidan and stepped to the keypad on the opposite side of the door. Shepard's fingers tightened on the grip of her pistol, and her muscles coiled. Wilson punched in the code, and it turned green with a chirped. Shepard edged forward as the doors slid apart.

"What's going on?" a voice said.

Voices rose, chairs screeching, and upending. Tables turned over. Shepard hesitated until the door widened enough, then she darted in.

"Surrender. Special Tactics and Rec—"

A blue flash knocked her back into some overturned chairs. A biotic shield flared out and sealed off the back of the room. The Scorpion _was_ here then. Shadows around the room dodged for cover behind upended tables. The first shot glanced off her shoulder, and she slid under a table and overturned it. It rattled with gunshots. A few came right through the thin wood. Wilson dipped his head around the door and returned fire amid the pounding feet and yelling.

Shepard clutched her pistol still shaky with biotic fatigue and peeked around the edge of the table. A blue sphere swirled above her. She clawed at the table as she started to lift. Bullets sprayed plaster from the wall behind her as she floated up. She grit her teeth and flashed a barrier over her skin. It broke the hold, and she dropped with a thud and rolled free letting her barrier dropped. Lights danced in her vision under a throbbing headache. Her pistol clattered to the floor as she braced herself on her hands and knees trying to stop the spinning.

A scuffling sound made her look up. A barrel aimed down at her. Kaidan rammed into the woman's legs, and her pistol fired into the wall as she tumbled backward. Shepard snatched her gun off the floor next to Kaidan's knee. The woman lifted her head, and Shepard fired. Blood misted into their faces as the woman's head slammed back against the floor. Red spread across her uniform – a rear admiral.

The overturned table shuttered, and a man flew spun around the other side. Shepard's vision flashed blue as Kaidan batted his hand out. The boom reverberated in her teeth. Shepard whipped him in the face with her pistol and shot him in the forehead.

Kaidan's head thudded back against the table, the pistol loosening in his hand, and blinked rapidly with a big swallow. Shepard leaned across him and fired around the edge of the table. She hit a woman in the chest, and she toppled over. Pieces of tile flooring exploded in the air as a bullet hit the ground by her knee. She drew back and changed clips. Wilson was still returning fire from the doorway, and Shepard spun a spare clip his direction.

Shepard touched Kaidan's shoulder, and he focused on her with a nod. His fingers gripped onto his pistol, and he sat up from the table. Shepard peeked over the top and exchanged fire with two uniforms huddled behind the table across from them.

Shepard caught the movement too late. A barrel tipped around the table. Kaidan's Omni-Tool glowed and the woman's gun clicked. She cursed and drove her Omni-blade at Kaidan. It sliced his hand as he turned it aside with his pistol. She ducked his shot reeling back with wild eyes and spun around. Her eyes fixed on the blue shield separating the room, and she pushed to her feet. Shepard's shaky pistol only hit the wall beyond her. The shield rippled to let her through. Kaidan lunged out from behind the table and caught her foot. Her hair flared over her head as her face cracked into the floor. The shield resealed without her.

Shepard darted out beside Kaidan and gave return fire. Her gun clicked. A man in the corner smiled up from his Omni-Tool and rushed at them. Fire plumed from his Omni-Tool. Kaidan pressed to the floor and angled his pistol up, but it clicked too. He seemed to anticipate the tech attack and dodged the burst of ice. Shepard planted her feet over Kaidan as fire washed over them. He bared down on them, and Shepard launched forward through the flames and buried her Omni-blade right through his gut. Her face stung, stomach twisting with the stench of scorched hair, and let him drop to the floor.

A bullet broke Shepard's chest plate, and she staggered back with a gasp. Kaidan grabbed her arm and dragged her behind a stack of chairs. His hands patted rough around the top of her head, and she had to stop herself from thrusting him away as she realized what he was doing. The pain burning across her scalp wasn't from his roughness. A squeak escaped her lips, and she tangled her fingers up into her hair.

"I've got it." He pushed her hands down and mussed her hair one last time before rocking back on his heels.

She searched his face. "Bad?"

"Noticeable."

"Damnit." She slammed her fist down on floor.

Wilson's gunshots stopped, and his gun clicked. There was only one man left not hiding behind the biotic shield. He fired at them as he bolted past. It was Anthony. Shepard spun out after him knocking over the stack of chairs. Wilson fumbled in the doorway with a spare clip as Anthony's arms punched forward, Omni-blade glowing. Shepard and Kaidan flashed blue at the same time. Anthony flew sideways in a wave of blue energy and crunched into the wall. Shepard let the energy drop and stumbled to a stop. She turned to the shield, but whoever was left was hiding deep inside.

The earth moved under her, and she tasted the blood running over her upper lip. She turned woozily to find Kaidan. He lay face down not moving. Her fingers grappled for the edge of a table to steady herself as she lurched over to him. He lay in the open without armor. If they dropped the shield, they could fire on him. She crashed to her knees beside him and put her armored back to the shield. Darkness rimmed her vision, head spinning, as she slouched over him. Her fingers curled a wad of his shirt into her palm, and she closed her eyes.

XXX

She woke with a start, her face pressed to Kaidan's back. Gunshots rang in her head, and she bolt upright. Wilson's legs shifted standing between them and the shield. He shot round after round at the rippling blue wall. Shepard pushed to her feet unsteadily. Kaidan moaned and stirred against the floor.

"You're awake. Didn't know if you would." Wilson fired again.

Shepard pushed his arms down and turned to the shield. She squinted through the blue veil, but whoever was on the other side was hiding behind the tipped-over tables.

"Give up. This is Commander Shepard. You've lost."

Her vision was still wavy, but she pulled herself up straight.

"Commander Shepard?" a younger male voice said.

"Yes. We know everything, so just drop the shield. We won't shoot you."

Kaidan crawled to his knees, grabbed his gun, and stood with a slight stagger. Shepard gripped his arm. He wiped blood from his nose and met her eyes with a quick nod before she let go. She turned back to the shield.

"It's useless. We have you. Just give—"

Two shots fired. The shield fell. Shepard surged forward to the overturned table in the back. She turned the table aside and stood back. Two bodies in Alliance uniforms lay bleeding from the heads with pistols still rocking at their side. Kaidan stepped up beside her.

"Mason's son." Shepard turned to Kaidan.

"And Flight Admiral Dumas." Kaidan pointed with his gun.

Wilson shoved between them. "No …"

The gun slipped from his fingertips, and he froze over Dumas's body. Shepard drew in a deep breath and met Kaidan's eyes. Mason's son was a biotic with inside knowledge of the Alliance and Council and scheduled onstage on day one of the Summit. It was over then. She smiled, but Kaidan looked away. He shoved his pistol away.

"Who's calling it in?" he said.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

"This is a disaster." Sparatus slammed his datapad in the center of the Council room's table.

The Admiral Board of Parliment, every last flight admiral in Vancouver, stood around the table still blinking sleep from their eyes. Sparatus, Ilk, and Tevos faced them across the glass table. From the head of the table, Shepard had a good view of both sides. She leaned forward on the table and stray strands of burned hair escaped the bun knotted at the back of her head.

"Councilor Mason - put him under house arrest, not in a detention cell," Shepard said.

"We're not talking about him right now." Ilk raised a hand. "The Summit's set to open in eight hours."

"Postpone it," Kaidan said. He stood in the back of the room against the wall. It was the first thing he'd said in the last hour of the Council-Alliance bickering. All the blaming, panicking, and finger pointing was growing old.

"Impossible!" Ilk snapped. "It's all arranged. Been arranged for over a year. Why should any of this change that?"

"This is the biggest scandal in Alliance history," Flight Admiral Sheng said.

"The media fallout ..." Flight Admiral Montgomery shook her head. "Twenty-four hours and this hits all the news stations."

"The start of the Summit will wash it out," Sparatus said. "Going ahead shows strength. Terra Firma's plans have been exposed, leaders removed. We've won, haven't we?"

"Agreed," Tevos said. "Continuing undaunted shows that we are above it. It focuses the attention back to the real issues, not Terra Firma's cause."

"Or draws the attention to their cause instead of focusing on the real issues," Kaidan said.

The admirals turned in on each other arguing. It was a huge embarrassment. Even now, they were still analyzing all the plans and information from the chip. Shepard caught Kaidan's eye, but he looked down at the datapad in his hand.

"The Summit will go on," Sparatus said finally. "This is not a decision the Alliance has any say in."

"What about subduing the rest of Terra Firma?" Tevos looked to Shepard.

"From the chip, we know their targets - the nuclear power center in north Vancouver and the Comm Hubb downtown. At 1800 tonight, they'll be centralizing to strike. We'll be ready."

"When Councilor Mason doesn't appear at the opening ceremony, they'll be talk," Sheng said.

"His son died. No one needs to know more for now," Montgomery said.

"The death of his son though …" Flight Admiral Abadi said. "That has to raise some alarms for Terra Firma."

"As far as we know," Shepard said. "No one in Terra Firma knew he or Flight Admiral Dumas were Terra Firma leaders."

"Let alone that their Scorpion was Lieutenant Mason," Tevos said.

The admirals stirred across the table.

"Not proven!" Montgomery said.

"All but proven," Ilk said. "His involvement is extensive from those files on the chip. It fits. The Spectres believed the Scorpion would be a biotic, someone set to be onstage in opening ceremonies. Not a long list. His relationship with the Alliance and Council, the terror attacks mirroring his deployments. A personal grudge for his mother's death – possible motive for using the Normandy to target petty mercs. It makes sense."

"And Councilor Mason? Science Officer Alicia Mason?" Abadi said.

"Alicia Mason was on duty at the Veteran's hospital all evening," Tevos said. "It's been confirmed by witnesses and video surveillance. We released her after questioning. The Councilor, unfortunately, was home alone."

"He wasn't at the meeting we broke up," Shepard said. "That's not proof he's not involved?"

"Perhaps he hadn't arrived yet. Maybe he'd left already. He could have been on speaker phone," Sparatus said. "We've no way of knowing since everyone's dead."

He gave Shepard a pointed look.

"I offered arrest," Shepard said.

"I don't believe Councilor Mason's involved," Tevos said. "It's just a precaution until we've investigated." She leaned forward catching Sparatus's eye and then Ilk's. They nodded, and Tevos turned back to Shepard. "We should have an alternate take his place. Shepard?"

Shepard shrugged. "By all means, have all alternate."

"You, Shepard," Tevos said.

The Alliance heads snapped her direction, and she could feel Kaidan's eyes weighing on her from the back of the room, but she pressed on unfazed.

"As everything sits now," Shepard said. "We have no reason to think Anthony Barrus planned any further communication before the strike. As Long as Terra Firma isn't alerted to what happened here, they'll prepare for the strike. We'll be there to collect them. It's a lot cleaner, and we get all of them in one swoop. We go for them now, root around through the city, they'll escape and civilians will get hurt."

"Shepard?" Tevos asked again.

Shepard only glanced briefly at her before continuing. "We need Alliance troops, C-Sec, Spectres. The Scorpion and Alliance moles are removed, but we take out all their best people that they've gathered right here, all their other leaders - Terra Firma as a threat will be essentially eliminated. The relay will be back up, and we'll be in the clear."

"If the relay can even be repaired," Sparatus said.

"We've plans for another shard from an Arcturus relay," Montgomery said.

"What?" Ilk said. "You must approve this with the Council. Deactivate an active relay? That's permanent."

"We know the gravity of it," Sheng said.

"That's a Council, not an Alliance, decision," Sparatus fumed.

"Agreed," Tevos said.

"We can talk about that later," Shepard put her hands up. "Admirals, Councilors - do we have the resources for the strike tomorrow?"

"Of course," Sheng said. "Admiral Hart has been drawing up a plan for the HUB and nuclear centers."

"Those bombs are both diffused?" Flight Admiral Hart finally spoke for the first time.

"Shepard's team secured them. They're already disarmed," Montgomery said.

"We're missing the nuclear bomb," Shepard said.

"We don't know it even came into the city," Montgomery said. "If they planned to use it in their attacks, it would have been with the others."

"It's still missing," Shepard said.

"And we'll find it eventually as we continue to raid Terra Firma facilities," Hart said. "It's a massive warhead. Even Terra Firma doesn't want to use it, apparently. It's more valuable as a threat than anything real."

Shepard pursed her lips and looked around the nodding heads.

"The plans so far …" Hart stood up.

Shepard wandered away from the table. The attack plans grew heated before Hart was through his first step. Sparatus talked overtop him, and Montgomery flew around the table to get in Spartaus's face.

"Spectres should direct the assaults," Tevos agreed.

"We're not having Alliance troops directed by turien Spectres." Sheng came up beside Montgomery and slammed a palm down on the table.

Shepard strolled over to Kaidan and leaned against the wall next to him. He glanced over at her.

"Hey," he said.

"You look grim."

He hung the datapad to his side. "It doesn't make sense."

"What?"

"The information on the chip," Kaidan said. "Their plans post-attack. Setting themselves up as global leaders. Where's the scorpion?"

"He planned to leave Earth."

"Anchor's email, the only one he deleted, mentioned a surprise package for the Scorpion. This chip mentioned a delivery, doesn't say to who, but I think it's the same thing. Maybe the Scorpion isn't in their plans, because the leaders, at least the Alliances ones, planned to make sure he didn't come back."

"If they're eliminating him, why's he at their meeting?"

"Right." Kaidan looked over at her. He tapped the datapad in his palm. "The way they talk about the attack onstage makes it sound like a contained detonation with a mass effect field. Then the Scorpion comes out after the explosion and gets credit over live vid."

"We both checked the floor's schematics. Nothing's going to detonate," Shepard said.

"Then why do they think it will?" Kaidan turned off the datapad. "I don't think they knew what the floor did."

"So, what?" Shepard said folding her arms. "The scorpion's being crossed and knows it. Tricks them into installing a weapon they don't understand. Dumas's sitting front row with his cohorts, and the scorpion takes them out?"

"Always seemed like a grudge to me," Kaidan said. "There are easier ways to go, but it's about a show and taking credit. Dumas and the others turn against him, the whole galaxy sees them pay. The whole galaxy sees the Council pay, the Alliance pay, all the alien leaders, everyone."

"And the missing nuclear warhead? It fits in somewhere?"

"I don't know."

"What about the package for the Scorpion? Could it be the warhead?"

Kaidan furrowed his brow. "That would destroy the entire city. They'd kill themselves."

"Why take it from the Shields then?" Shepard mused.

Kaidan shrugged and shook his head. Shepard frowned at the floor. There was too much effort the nuclear warhead from the Shield to just be saving it for a rainy day. Kaidan closed his eyes with a scrunched face and touched his temple. He looked up abruptly.

"We need to tell the Council about the floor, Shepard."

Shepard held his eye, then finally nodded.

"Okay." She put a hand on his shoulder. "You all right?"

"A headache. I'm fine."

He stood away from the wall and walked toward the councilors. Shepard followed him. The admirals and council had separated across the table again only talking to their own group. Admiral Sheng stood up from the table

"We'll go discuss these specifics in the Alliance wing. We'll let you prepare for the Summit," he said to the Councilors.

The Councilors nodded dismissively at the admirals. The admirals eyed Shepard and Kaidan as they filed to the far door

"Commander." Admiral Sheng stopped in front of her. He glanced at the Councilors before lowering his voice and leaning in closer. "Consider the alternate spot. The Alliance could use your support during the Summit."

"I'm sure they won't lack for Alliance volunteers if they need to fill an alternate spot," Shepard said.

"Another choice may not have Alliance welfare at heart. Consider it. Tell them you'll think on it, and I'll have Admiral Wilson follow up with you before the Summit," Sheng said.

Shepard gave Sheng a cool look. "I've made up my mind already, but I appreciate the recommendation, sir."

He gave a gritty sigh. but he inclined his head. "I'll have the admiral follow up with you, just in case." Shepard nearly rolled her eyes but kept a fixed smile. "And good work on this one. I think you'll be pleased with how much the Parliament appreciates you uncovering these moles. You too, Major." He gave them both a nod. "Until tomorrow."

Kaidan folded his arms watching Sheng leave. Shepard hesitated to continue to the table. The way he'd looked at her from across the room when Tevos had asked – he had something to say about it. Better to just get it out and shut down. She waited. Kaidan turned and met her eyes. He didn't say anything.

"Anything to add?" she prompted after a moment.

He looked pointed past her at the Councilors. "Should we tell them about the floor?"

He didn't wait for an answer and passed by her. Shepard heard the door click behind Sheng, the last admiral to leave the room. The Councilors looked up at them as they came up to the table. They weren't going to like this. As she told them, Sparatus's frown deepened. Tevos's eyebrows raised, but Ilk's face didn't seem to move at all.

"In light of Mason's possible involvement," Tevos said. "I see why you hesitated to tell us, but something of this significance needs to be shared, Spectres."

"Spectre Alenko wanted to tell you," Shepard said. "It was my decision not to."

"And what now?" Ilk said. "The Summit. It's little only seven hours away."

"Move the Summit to another location," Kaidan said. "Use the main council chamber."

"Main council chamber?" Sparatus snorted. "We'd only fit half the people needed to run the lights and audio. No room for an audience. No room for media."

"Let in a couple of cameras, and the audience can watch from outside," Kaidan said.

"That completely undermines the significance of the Summit," Sparatus said. "It'd be disorganized, ridiculous, a barely elevated council meeting with too many people crowding the floor."

"Postpone it then," Kaidan said.

"No," Ilk said putting a hand up. "We've already discussed this. It will go on. The people are here. The plans are made. To organized it all over again? Impossible."

"These terrorists are vermin," Sparatus said. "We won't validate them as more than that."

Shepard looked around at their faces. Arguing with the Alliance for hours had made them dig in their heels. The Council wanted to be in control, they'd made their decision in front of the Alliance, and going back on it now would only show their weakness. Shepard could respect that.

"That floor is a danger." Kaidan pointed his finger into the table and leaned forward. "It could destroy the entire building. Could kill all of you. Kill everyone."

Tevos shifted and glanced over at Ilk and Sparatus. Ilk folded his arms.

"Only a danger from someone who knows," Ilk said. "You roped it off. Placed the statue there. No one comes across it serendipitously, and no one knows."

"Who else knows about it?" Tevos asked.

"Admiral Hackett," Shepard said.

"Admiral Hackett?" Sparatus rattled the back of chair. "You tell no one in the Council, but you tell one of the Alliance admirals?"

"It is what it is," Shepard said. "We can't go back and tell you. We know, and Admiral Hackett knows. That's all."

Kaidan pressed his lips and shook his head. "The Scorpion knew. More in Terra Firma could know about it. We don't know."

"The Scorpion has a hole in his head," Sparatus said.

Tevos frowned at him. "Don't be insensitive. That's Councilor Mason's son."

"We don't know he's the Scorpion," Kaidan said.

"You said—"

"We don't know." Kaidan came around the table to them. "Suspicion is not the same as knowing. Until we know, there's a chance we're wrong. If we're wrong …"

"You were willing to take the risk before," Tevos said. "What's the difference? The risk is even less now. The Scorpion is probably dead and so are the Alliance moles that would have been onstage. You and Shepard can continue with the same preventive plan you had before."

Shepard met each councilor's eye and nodded. That was reasonable. The risk was considerably less. Even if the Scorpion wasn't Mason's son, he'd be scare off. The Scorpion would notice his Alliance cohorts missing at the Summit. Whether the Scorpion was dead or not, he wouldn't reveal himself on stage.

Kaidan exhaled sharply and shook his head. "For pomp and ceremony, you risk everything."

Sparatus slapped the table with his palm. "The Summit goes ahead tomorrow. That's final. Same place, same time. You and Shepard had some plant to protect us, keep it. The Scorpion's dead. Terra Firma gets cleaned up night. Now," he stood up straight," we have a few hours left to prepare and rest. Do yourselves the favor and do the same."

They watched the Councilors file out the side door. Kaidan watched with crossed arms and a dark frown.

"Kaidan."

He eyes flickered to her, face tight. He didn't say anything.

"Hey, we can do this like we talked about," Shepard said.

"I didn't like it then," Kaidan said. "At least, then the benefit made the risk more rational. If the Scorpion's dead or scare off, we only have risk, no benefit."

He swung away and headed to the door the admirals had left out earlier. Shepard jogged up behind him as he turned into the hall. She kept pace with him, but he didn't look over.

"Do we need to talk about something?" she said. He seemed testy.

Kaidan stopped. He turned to face her. "Look, Shepard. I'm sorry. I have a headache. We'll debrief later."

"We only have seven hours."

"Exactly," Kaidan said. "We've been up all day, all night, and in seven hours, we'll be up all day again. We're both been pushed to breaking with biotic fatigue. I'm only running on adrenaline. I need rest. You need rest. But … make your own decision."

He turned before she could reply and strode away. Shepard followed him with her eyes and frowned. He disappeared around the corner.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Kaidan left the Council wing behind and took a sharp right toward the Alliance barracks. The overhead lighting made his head pound harder. Hours left and what he really needed was a whole day to just lay in the dark and feel better. He massaged his temple as he rounded the last corner to his room. He stopped short.

"Liara."

She leaned sideways on the wall next to his door.

"Kaidan." She straightened with a smile.

"What's going on? You okay?"

"I wanted to make sure everything turned out all right. Shepard's safe?"

"Yes." He walked hesitantly to his door.

"Are you all right? You seem …"

"I have a migraine. I already took something."

The splintering pain was starting to dull, and the throbbing had shallowed. But that disjointed feeling the medicine couldn't touch was still there – the feeling of only skimming the surface, nothing quite connecting, stumbling in a fog. He turned to the door and rested his face into the crook of his elbow. He needed a moment to think. A moment to keep his thoughts straight. A hand touched his back.

"Are you going in?"

Go in - what would happen then, he wasn't sure. He couldn't rely on himself to think things through. And he was emotional too, could feel his heart pounding. Liara should go. He needed to be alone, sleep if it was possible.

He took a deep breath focusing on his senses - the chill of the metal door against his arm, hum of overhead lights, that sterile copy paper smell to the hallway, the faint flowery smell of Liara. He gave a long sigh and pushed back from the door.

"Let's go outside," he said.

"What?' Liara peered at him. "If you're not feeling well, Kaidan …"

"Dark is better."

"Your room is dark," Liara motioned. "We can talk later. Perhaps you need to rest."

Here was his opening then. Encourage her to leave. He could let this turbulence pass, sleep, start over. She was offering to go. He wouldn't even need to fret over hurting her feelings by suggesting.

"Stay," he said.

Her eyes glistened with a clear, soft sheen as he studied them. Something about her, just having her here, made him feel better. But that was the problem. His head ached trying to think it out any further.

"Let's go outside though," he said and nodded to the exit at the end of the hall.

He passed her and looked back. Her brow wrinkled.

"Are you sure, Kaidan? You look exhausted."

"It's fine. Let's walk. I'm happy you to see you."

She fell in beside him, and they moved down the hall. Kaidan picked up his pace. He needed to get out from the flickering fluorescence. Through the hallway windows, the night promised dark and calm. Kaidan jammed the button as soon as they reached it.

"I'm glad you're safe." Liara put a hand on the back of his arm as they passed outside.

He took a deep breath of moist air - cool and grassy, a taste of the briny ocean, and scent of blossoms blooming somewhere in the darkness. The night air was already warmer than the last time he'd walked around. The bright lights receded behind them as they left the windows behind and walked through the damp grass. Stars spread overhead in the darkness and city lights glittered down below in the distance. They strolled side by side in silence, and his fingertips dropped away from kneading his temple. Between the medicine and the darkness, the pain in his head was starting to settle. He drew in a deep breath and glanced over at Liara.

"You run into any trouble getting back?" he asked.

Liara shook her head. "We made it to the extraction point unseen. We recovered the boy. They took him to Council Holding."

"The boy?" Kaidan frowned for a second then lifted his eyebrows. "Oh, right."

"Why'd you save him?" Liara asked.

Kaidan folded his arms and shrugged. "I didn't save him. I spared him. He's only a dumb kid."

"From what Miranda said—"

"I don't want to know," Kaidan said. "It's been a long night."

"Very well …" Liara interlaced her hands in front of her as they strolled.

Kaidan stopped short, folding his arms in tighter, and sighed. "You know, if it came to a choice between us or the kid, it's us. Of course, it is. But if it wasn't a choice, I knew I'd live better with myself this way. I don't regret it, whatever Miranda says."

Liara gave a slight smile. "That's something I like about you, Kaidan."

"Well … thanks."

He turned back to the dark lawn and let his arms drop to his side as he walked ahead. There wasn't a destination, it just felt good to be outside and quiet. Liara kept pace by his side as they cut through the dewy grass.

"I came out here one night," Kaidan said, and he pointed ahead of them. "Sat right there. Fell asleep. Didn't wake up until morning. I was lucky I didn't wake up with a seagull nesting on me."

"Is that a risk here on Earth?"

Kaidan smiled over at her. The darkness made her features a deep purple in the half-seen light.

"No, I'm joking."

She smiled softly, and a hand curled around the inside of his arm as they walked.

"On my digs, I'd sleep outside. Different planets, people, ruins, but the night sky was always there."

"You miss it? Archeology."

"I like remembering, but everything's changed. I've changed. I'm the shadow broker now. Going back would only disappoint me, spoil the memories."

"Maybe the point's to make new memories, not live in the old ones," Kaidan said. "You're the shadow broker, but you're still an archeologist. Don't give up what you love just because you've changed."

They came up to a cement walkway. It wound into a manicured hedge circling a garden near the building. Kaidan' head still had that heavy, deep ache that made concentration an effort, but the sharpness was gone. He didn't need to squint as he gazed at the pale light shining in the distance from the garden. Liara looked out across the dark lawns the other direction.

"Did you want to stay out of the light?" she asked.

He did, but the garden lights looked dim. This time of night, no one was around, but it would feel more public. He didn't want to deal with thinking through any decisions tonight. He knew himself enough when he felt like this. Following all the possible threads into the future, considering ramifications and meanings - he'd give up like struggling under a weight. Then he'd be left whatever he felt in the moment. Liara's hand warmed the hollow of his elbow.

"I'm feeling better," Kaidan said. "Have you seen the Alliance gardens?"

He turned down the cement pathway without waiting for an answer. Liara shuffled along beside him still clutching his arm. She chewed her bottom lip, darted a look at him, and seemed about to say something.

"What were we talking about?" Kaidan said fixing his eyes ahead.

"Archeology," Liara said in a bland tone.

"Right," Kaidan said. "You're really giving it up?"

Liara studied his profile in the corner of his vision.

"Seems like a poor use of my time," she said finally and looked forward. "Javik's here. Why study ruins when the one that built them is right here to explain everything."

They passed through the leafy hedge into a wide lawn circled with gravel walkways. A marble pool dominated the center of the garden with a fountain trickling in the middle. Only days ago, the conference hall doors had been propped open, and Shepard running into him with her empty glass. Liara released his arm and strolled to the reflective waters of the pool. The pool's marble rim was wide enough for sitting, and she smoothed her skirt as she sat. Kaidan took a few steps after her.

"I know Javik thinks he knows everything about the Protheans," Kaidan said. "But if I was the sole survivor of my cycle, I'd only know a fraction of what there is to learn about humanity, let alone the galaxy or other races."

"True." Liara dipped a finger into the pool then smiled. "Don't let _him_ hear you say that though."

"Ten months together coming back on the Normandy, and he still acts like he doesn't know who I am."

"Feigning to not recognize someone you clearly know, especially when both know it - it's a way to exert dominance."

Kaidan grinned. "I suppose some things don't change across cycles. Maybe next time I'll pretend to not know _him_. Go toe to toe on who can recognize the other the least."

Liara stirred the water with her fingertip. She looked up sharply. "How are things with Shepard?"

"What?" He frowned at the abrupt transition.

Liara straightened and folded her hands in her lap. "Will you two … Is there any way?"

Kaidan exhaled, folded his arms, and looked down the length of the pool toward the back hedge. Shepard's outline stirred in the shadows laughing, talking, and looked over her shoulder at him with a raised glass. She turned away.

Liara shifted on the marble rim and dropped her eyes. "I shouldn't be asking. I'm sorry."

Kaidan crunched across the gravel and sank down next to her on the edge of the pool.

"No."

Liara eyed him. "No?"

"No, I don't think we'll ever be together again."

"Oh," Liara said softly.

Kaidan hunched over resting his elbows on his knees and stared at his hands. A cut sliced down the side of his thumb to the base of the palm. It was sealed into a translucent raised line with medigel. He traced it with a finger. It barely hurt anymore. His headache hurt worse. He exhaled and looked back at Liara.

"I'm fine though."

"Is that true?" Liara hunched forward beside him.

"It's starting to be. I want it to be."

He stared at the gravel between his feet, and Liara's hand slipped under his arm. Her fingers warmed the crook his elbow like before, and his breath slowed and calmed. This time though, her fingers caressed down the skin of his inner arm. The light, slow touch to his wrist sent shivers down his spine, and his brow pinched as her fingers uncurled, tips tracing up his fingers, and palm pressing into his. He looked back at her. Garden light glimmered in her eyes, wide and bright. She searched his face, and his heart pounded clenching in his chest. He wasn't ready for this. She smiled softly, and a rush of feeling and memory swept over him – a taste of her all around him, everything washing away, the security, the belonging, the warmth.

His fingers parted. Blood throbbed through his veins as her fingers slipped slowly between his. Her throat moved in a swallow, breath quickening, as folded his fingers over her hand. Maybe she was afraid. He knew he was. His heart pounded as her fingertips dug into the back of his hand and her lips parted. He leaned in.

Something splashed in the water. He paused tasting her breath and feeling the heat off her skin. He looked down. It was a fish. Kaidan's breath caught. A black and gold coy swished below the pool's surface, twisting and curling, before slipping away. Kaidan pulled back dropping her hand and stood up.

"I should go rest. I'm not thinking straight."

Liara's mouth tightened as she gripped the rim of the marble pool. Her eyelashes fluttered as she bowed her head and gave a slow nod. She brushed a finger under her eye, and it pulled the air out of Kaidan's lungs.

"Liara … I-I'm sorry."

She drew in a deep breath and raised glimmering eyes. His stomach twisted as she rose forcing a quick smile and brushed around him.

"Liara." Kaidan spun after her. "I'm not thinking clearly."

Liara stopped. "Like on Jump Zero? You weren't thinking clearly then either?" She turned around and met his eye with a set mouth.

"I didn't know what I was doing." Kaidan took a step closer. "I thought Shepard was dead. I felt … it was excruciating. Maybe the worst I've ever felt. We were both upset. I just wanted anything not to feel it. Didn't you?"

Liara shut her eyes and drew in a sharp breath. Kaidan's heart beat in his throat, and he reached to touch her arm but stopped short. She looked him evenly in the eye.

"Being with you that way. It wasn't about drowning my feelings for Shepard. It was about my feelings for you, Kaidan. I wasn't using you."

"I …" he stammered and dropped his eyes.

His stomach churned. Nausea welled up his throat, and his mind splintered a thousand different directions.

"I … Liara, I don't know what to say. If I used you …" His voice strained. He swallowed. "I care so much about you. I would never mean to do that, but yet … I don't know. I truly didn't understand what I was doing. I get upset and try to stay in control, but I make decisions without thinking sometimes. Please …"

Liara's lips pressed into a thin line, and she sucked in a deep breath with a shudder. The line between Kaidan's eyebrows pinched tightened, and he took a step forward. Her hard, sharp eyes stopped him in place. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.

They stared at each other, and the wrinkles in her brow loosened. Her eyes widened little by little, and Kaidan touched the edge of his chin. His fingertips reflected in the low light, and his eyes snapped up to her face. Now it was even more embarrassing.

Liara hugged her middle. "This is because you still love Shepard?"

Kaidan shook his head breathing through his mouth. "It's because I can't stop. But I want to."

Liara touched his arm. Kaidan searched her eyes.

"Liara, you knew this already. You had to have felt it when we …"

"I love Shepard, too, Kaidan."

Kaidan dropped his eyes. "I know."

Her hand squeezed his arm. "Our love for Shepard's what we had in common on the Normandy. No one else really understood, but we had each other. Now time's passed though. How I feel about you - it surpasses the feelings I have for Shepard. Maybe you can't stop, but it doesn't mean you can't surpass it."

He looked up sharply. The thought of that gave him breath. It rolled around in his mind.

"I don't know," he said.

"Think about it then."

Kaidan eyed her. "I'm going to the Terminus System."

"I'm the shadow broker. Long as there's a comm buoy, I can go wherever I want."

"There isn't one. Not functional, anyway."

"Not yet. That's one of your priorities, isn't it?"

Kaidan nodded, and she smiled softly at him.

"I'll see you at the Summit," she said.

She touched the side of his face and then turned away. His heart thudded as he watched leave through the break in the hedge. Then he wandered back to the pool. He gazed down through his rippling reflection at the calico coy gliding and curving beneath.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

The tall, glass door between the columns slid open. Tali put her hands on her hips.

"Shepard, what are you doing here?"

"Too early?"

Tali pointed at the dark sky beyond the gravel landing pad.

"The sun isn't even up."

Shepard shifted in the doorway. "You were always early risers on the Normandy."

"We're lazy now. We like waking up closer to the sun rising than setting."

"Ah. Well …"

Tali stepped aside. "Come in. I'm already down here answering the door and awake. Garrus wanted to open a window and throw a shoe at you."

"Whose shoe?" Shepard stepped through the entryway.

"Couldn't agree on that part." Tali lead Shepard down the hallway. "That's why I came down to answer the door."

"So, I'm to thank your love of footwear for sparing me a dented forehead?"

"His aim isn't that good." Tali turned into the kitchen.

"I'd say 'I heard that,' but I'm pretty sure you meant me to." Garrus blew on the mug in his hand. He handed a steaming mug off the granite counter to Tali.

"How're you drinking that? A straw? Looks hot," Shepard lifted an eyebrow and strolled to the island counter. She dragged a stool out.

"Well, make yourself at home, Shepard," Garrus said.

He sipped off his mug.

"Whatcha got there?" Shepard asked.

Garrus held it out to her. It smelled like a bog. Shepard crinkled her nose and sat back.

"No thanks."

"Wasn't offering." Garrus clutched it in both hands. "Just had to show you it wasn't booze. Didn't want you wrestling it away from me."

"Good strategy. I won't."

Tali dug through a kitchen drawer, rattled it closed, and pulled out the next one down.

"I put your emergency induction ports in the counter cannister," Garrus said.

"Oh."

"And be careful." Garrus eyed her. "It is hot. Shepard's right about a few things."

"Every so often," Shepard said putting her elbows on the counter. She rested her chin in her hands. "Any non-dextran eatables around here?"

"Hmm." Garrus turned to the cupboard over the island. He set two wine bottles down in front of her.

"They're open," Shepard said.

"From the party."

Shepard swept them aside with the back of her hand. "How about non-alcohol?"

Garrus gasped and pressed a hand to his chest. His eyes and mouth stretched wide, and he froze. Shepard gazed back flatly.

"Tali?" she turned.

"Emergency induction ports. Ah ha." Tali drew a straw from a clear cannister. She glanced over at Shepard then paused to stare at Garrus.

"He's frozen in shock, because I turned down alcohol." Shepard waved absently.

Garrus's jaw loosened. He relaxed and brought the mug up to his mouth.

"That's all I was looking for."

"Yeah, well, I could have ignored you longer, but your swamp water was getting cold. I do have some heart since I woke you up."

"Yeah … about that." Garrus leaned back against the counter and crossed his ankles. "We bring your bombs in for you, hardly get to shoot any bad guys, and you're still here waking me up in the middle of the night."

"Me too," Tali said stirring her drink with the straw.

"Woke us both up," Garrus corrected.

"Thank." Tali tilted her head at him.

"Of course. Shepard's screwing with both of us."

"Hey." Shepard leaned forward on the counter. "You got to shoot more 'bad guys' than you have in years. Give me some credit for that."

Garrus shrugged. "Eh. I really like my sleep."

"Oh," Tali said suddenly and set her mug on the island.

She bent down and opened a lower cabinet.

"So …" Garrus rolled a hand in the air. "Why the early morning house call?"

"Well, we hadn't touched base after you got back on the train. How'd it go?"

Garrus looked at her blankly. "Really? You woke us up for a status report? You know the warhead were recovered, right? Defused?"

"Yeah."

"Then?"

Tali popped up and plonked a metal bowl in front of Shepard.

"Ta da?" Shepard asked. She looked down into the bowl with a frown. "Was this covered? Is it from the party? I don't remember pretzels."

"You remember everything from the party, Shepard?" Garrus asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shepard said holding up a pretzel pinched between her fingertips.

"Went home a little tipsy," Garrus said.

Tali took a drink from her straw. "Nothing wrong with that."

"It is when you walk eleven kilometers to get home."

"I made it, didn't I?" Shepard tentatively bit off a corner of the pretzel.

"Yes, but you needed an escort."

"Escorted against my will." Shepard popped the rest of the pretzel in her mouth.

"Well, either way – an escort." Garrus shrugged. "Did you have it out with Alenko? Seemed like a scolded puppy dog when he came in. Sent Miranda after you. Must be some reason he didn't go himself. Though … if I had to walk over ten kilometers with Miranda or Kaidan for company … hmm … hard one."

"Kaidan," Tali chose. "We could talk Omni-Tools, warp core accelerators, and the new quantum drives in the Vestus II shuttles. Miranda? I … uh, I'm sure we'd find something to talk about."

"What about you, Shepard?" Garrus turned. "Oh, wait. We already know. Guess that leaves me to break the tie."

"We didn't 'get into it.'" Shepard put her finger into the bowl of the pretzels and spun it around on the countertop.

"Don't scatter them," Tali said lowering her mug.

"If one falls on the floor, I'll still eat it. Promise. I'm that hungry."

"Why didn't you eat earlier?" Tali asked. "You know we don't have your food here."

"I didn't come for food," Shepard said.

"Still in suspense over the reason," Garrus said watching her spin the bowl around her finger. He slapped a hand on top.

"Spoil sport." Shepard frowned.

"Yeah, answer the question, Shepard," Tali agreed.

"What?" Shepard put up her hands. "I can go." She flicked Garrus hand off the pretzels. "I'm taking the pretzels though." She dug her fingers into the bowl and stood up.

Garrus drummed his fingers on his mug and sighed. "Ugh. Just stay, Shepard."

"Oh, okay." Shepard hopped back onto her stool and put a handful of pretzels back in the bowl.

"I should have made you wait for it," Garrus chided himself. "You left me frozen for a good two minutes."

"Two minutes?" Shepard's face scrunched. "Ninety seconds, maybe."

"Two minutes or ninety seconds?" Garrus turned to Tali.

"Oh." Tali looked back and forth between them. "Definitely two minutes. Felt like three."

"What?" Shepard surged forward on her stool.

Garrus laughed.

"You weren't even paying attention," Shepard said.

"Only eye witness." Garrus thumbed his talon at Tali. "Judge is going with her statement."

"Biased testimony."

"Next time, you can line up an eyewitness you're sleeping with."

Shepard squinted at him with a frown. A scoop of pretzels crunched in her fist.

"Wow," she said.

"More useful tactic than money depending on circumstances," Garrus said.

Shepard put the whole handful of pretzels into her mouth and dusted her hands.

"Romantic," she said over the mouthful.

"And why couldn't she find someone at the bar?" Garrus turned to Tali and thumbed at Shepard this time. "Who can resist that charm?"

"What?" Shepard picked at the small pieces of broken pretzel in the bowl. "I charm snakes right outta the basket."

"Huh?"

"Trust me. That was clever. Just made it up right now. Sounded kinda dirty though."

"Again," Garrus turned to Tali. "Irresistible."

"Why didn't you bring a date to the party?" Tali asked.

Tali set her mug in the sink. Garrus cradled his drink in both hands as Shepard gave them a shrug.

"Kaidan was going to be there," Shepard said. "Would have made things awkward."

"Hmm …" Garrus considered. "Think he'd really still get upset about that? Now that he and Liara …"

Shepard put up a hand. "I don't want to talk about it."

She reached forward and emptied the bowl into her palm. Just a lot of salt. She threw it back in her mouth anyway and munched it down.

"I mean," Shepard continued settling down on her stool. "It would upset him. I know it would."

Garrus gave a sidelong shrug, and Shepard frowned down at the countertop. Of course, it would have upset him. She felt sure. Although, maybe things were changing.

"Well," Garrus said. "Guess there's no reason to make him droopier that you already did."

"We talked after Shepard left," Tali said. "Talked about my ambassadorial duties. He seemed fine to me."

"Looked like a sad puppy when he first came in." Garrus turned to Shepard. "I'm using the human reference, puppy, just for you, Shepard."

"Oh," Tali said, "I was going to look that up later."

"We're going to know so much Earth, human stuff after this stint, Tali. Probably could coauthor a book."

"Something on fighting the reapers with Shepard might sell better," Tali said.

"Mercenary. I like it."

"I have a whole homestead to build."

"You mind us selling your story, Shepard?" Garrus turned to her. "We'll make you look good."

Shepard gave a shrug and tapped the counter with her fingertips. "I wasn't mean to Kaidan, you know. I hardly said anything. Told him I didn't need his help home."

Garrus took a final swig of his mug and handed it to Tali.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked.

"Set it in the sink. You're right by it."

Tali sighed, and Garrus turned back to Shepard.

"Must have been the tone of voice then," he said.

"No tone." Shepard pointed at Garrus. "Kaidan's too sensitive if his feelings got hurt."

"You'd know more than us," Garrus said.

"I mean," Shepard sat up higher on her stool, "I touched base with him before the mission. Made sure things were good. He seemed just …"

'Fine' maybe wasn't the right word. In her mind, she saw him avoiding her eyes, his rigidity posture on the shuttle ride over, the silence as they waited in the council room for everyone to assemble, the bite in his voice when he'd left her.

"You falling asleep?" Garrus asked. "Been up all night?"

"Just thinking," Shepard said dropping to her feet from the stool.

"Where you going?"

"Uh …"Shepard paused. "Wake up another friend. Decided to start a streak."

"That so? Want to deliver …" Garrus looked around and settled on the two open wine bottles. "Yeah, this works. Why don't you deliver these to Jack."

"Jack?" Shepard pushed them away. "Why?"

"Curious how her middle-of the- night-hospitality matches ours. Thought you'd need an excuse for dropping in."

"Ha ha." Shepard waved a hand at him. "I wouldn't do that if I had 1000 credits to deliver."

"True. Probably get shot before the drop off no matter what you brought," Garrus mused.

"I bet Jack's still up," Tali said. "Knocking after dawn is the risky time. Then you'd be waking her up."

"Dawn did seem to be the magic hour. Jack and Vega sure can party." Garrus shook his head. "Next party's at your apartment, Shepard."

"Hardly an apartment. A room," Shepard said, "but it's an option, long as people don't mind talking with faces pressed together."

"You'd know they were listening," Tali said.

"And what they had for dinner," Garrus agreed. "Well, except for you, Tali,"

"I was just going to say that."

"I know, so I did it for you."

"Good to know chivalry isn't dead." Shepard rolled her eyes and pushed away from the counter. "Okay. Thanks for letting me wake you up. And the pretzels." Shepard pointed at Tali.

"No problem," Tali said. "Almost forgot about them. Could have gotten mice."

"Mice?" Garrus said. "Those the furry things that gnawed our speaker system?"

Tali nodded.

"Just happy to help," Shepard said. "And really, thanks."

She crossed the kitchen to the hallway.

"We'll be at the Summit geared up," Garrus said.

Shepard paused just short of the hall. "Don't get too excited. It's only for 'in case.'"

"I live for 'in case,'" Garrus said.

"When do you get your big Council award?" Tali asked.

Shepard shrugged. "When they call my name. Hope it's fast."

"It's a big honor," Garrus said. "Seriously, Shepard. The Council's never created an individual award for someone."

"It means something," Tali agreed.

Shepard looked down the hall. "Well … yeah. Means _something_." She waved a hand back at them and turned down the hall. "Thanks again. See you in a few hours."

"Why did you come? You really aren't going to tell us?" Garrus called after her.

"I was lonely," she called back and headed to the door.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Kaidan wasn't in his room. The Summit was still hours away. He probably wouldn't have appreciated his sleep getting cut short. She should really be focusing on the Summit, anyway.

She slowed in the hallway. Her reflection looked back at her in the dark window. The Council and Alliance believed the Summit attack threat to be adverted, Terra Firma's leaders and the Scorpion removed. But something didn't feel right. She'd rationalized away her gut feeling on the Normandy with Commander Anchor and the station crew. She needed to trust herself.

The missing nuclear warhead is what bothered her. Kaidan was right. If they used it, they'd kill their members for kilometers around. It wasn't mentioned in the plans on that datachip, but her gut told her they had it. Questions rolled around her head. They'd killed everyone they could have questioned, except … Shepard stopped in place. Except for that boy.

XXX

Shepard flashed her Spectre ID and gave her passcode at the door to the detention cells. The C-Sec officer stepped aside and let her pass. Holding cells lined a shadowy hallway. Night time lighting gave everything an eerie, greenish tint as Shepard walked down the block. Spectre Taccus stood at the end of the cell block beside a solid metal door.

"Spectre Taccus," Shepard greeted from down the aisle.

Taccus looked up from a datapad. "Spectre Shepard. A surprise."

Shepard paused at a plexiglass cell along the row. A head of unruly brown hair poked out from the blankets. He was the only prisoner in the holding cells. Shepard continued down the aisle to Taccus.

"How is it?" Shepard asked.

Taccus glanced around them.

"Quiet. None of the C-Sec officers seem aware," he said in a low voice.

Shepard nodded to the metal door. "You spoken with him?"

"No one can speak with him." Taccus eyed her and tucked the datapad under her arm. Apparently, he was making ready if she wanted to dispute it.

"I didn't come to see him," Shepard said. "I came for the boy."

"The boy?"

Shepard pointed down the aisle.

"Ah," Taccus said. "The other detainee. Won't talk. Pretty beaten up. Medic's been in more than once. He's sleeping now, I think."

"I'm hoping he has some answers for me."

"Good luck. Alenko's already been here. Twice. From what I saw, didn't look like he was getting anything."

"Did the boy talk?"

"Not that I heard from here."

"Hmm." Shepard frowned down the aisle.

Taccus checked his Omni-Tool and sighed. "This is a long night. Guard duty. Life of the Spectre. Not so glamorous, is it?"

"Couldn't agree more."

"You're getting the Council's Laurel of Apotheosis for the crucible. Good work there, Spectre."

"Uh … thanks." Shepard's mouth tightened into a line. She glanced at the metal door again. "Any word yet? Found anything?"

"They're going through his files. Turned over his council offices. Haven't found anything, that I know of anyway."

"Who's heading it?"

"Ursul," Taccus said. "If I hear anything, I'll let you know."

"That's very cooperative of you."

"That's what Spectres should do. From what I know of you, Spectre Shepard, I hope you'd do the same. I won't let a bad experience with one human Spectre taint my opinion on all."

"Well, don't let it taint your opinion of him either. He's one of the most ethical people I know, and he's a damn fine soldier. Give him another chance. He won't let you down."

Taccus shrugged. "Perhaps. But we're square. I don't think I'll get much opportunity to let him prove himself, anyway. From what I hear, the Alliance is sending him to the Terminus System. Be years until I need to see him again."

"Terminus System?" Shepard's forehead scrunched.

"Repair the relay and comm buoy's. Take back Orian Station. Keep the Attican Transverse and Council Space from being scavenged by those lunatic in the Terminus System. He's taking a team of biotics. Directing the whole enterprise, I hear."

"He's a Spectre." Shepard shifted on her feet with a frown. "The Alliance can't send him away like that."

"The Council has interests near the Terminus System. I assume there will be a quantum communicator to get direction from the Council and Alliance. Probably more he can do there than elsewhere."

Heat perfused Shepard's face.

"Don't you and Alenko work together quite a bit?" Taccus said. "If he hasn't said anything, maybe I shouldn't have spoken."

"Where did you hear this?" Shepard said.

"It's going around the Alliance. Alenko said something about it when we spoke a few hours ago." Taccus eyed her. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything, though."

"It's fine." Shepard spun away. "I'm going to talk to the boy."

Fingernails dug into her palms as her hands curled into fists at her side. She could feel Taccus's eyes on her back as she marched down the aisle to the boy's cell. She smacked a palm on the plexiglass. The head on the pillow jolted, but he didn't get up. She hit the glass again. The boy raised his hand. One finger.

"Hey," she said. "You talk, and we can work something out."

Nothing. Her eyes strayed to the cell's door. Storming into the cell and rattling him around was tempting, but it probably wouldn't produce much.

"You care about your family?" she asked.

No response.

"Tell me about the Scorpion."

He ignored her.

"The nuclear bomb."

He glanced up at her from his pillow, then he buried his head back down. Shepard leaned her face close to the glass.

"That interest you?" No answer. Shepard sighed and pushed back from the glass. "A nuclear warhead will kill everyone. The entire city. Even beyond. If you have family here …"

"They ain't nuclear," the boy murmured.

"What?" Shepard tapped the glass.

The boy sprang up. His face made Shepard's eyes widen. Dark bruises covered his entire face. One eye swelled shut. Medigel could only help so much. But he was alive, more than could be said for anyone else they'd run into.

"They ain't nuclear," the boy repeated.

"Not the ones on the train, no. But there's one missing. The nuclear warhead. Where is it?"

"There ain't a nuke," the boy said with clenched teeth. "The bombs only take down the target spots. That's it. I'm done talking."

"Saving the nuke for a rainy day then?"

He glared at her in silence. True to his word then. At least, so far.

"The nuke was lifted from the Shields right along with those two regular warheads. If you had two, you had three. Where is it?"

The boy scooted his back against the wall and stared at her blankly.

"Okay," Shepard sighed. "What about the Scorpion? I don't think your friends knew his real plan for the Summit meeting. Any reason he'd want your people dead? Any reason to turn against Terra Firma?"

The boy shrugged. It was some communication at least.

"Think the Scorpion knew your leaders were planning something for him?"

The boy frowned, but said nothing.

"Know anything about blue quartz? Some flooring?"

Blank stare.

"Fine." Shepard turned away. "You decide you don't want to die in a nuclear blast later today, ask for me. Shepard."

The boy sat forward. "Shepard?"

Shepard stopped. "Yes. That mean something to you?"

The boy settled back against the wall and crossed his arms. "Go to hell."

"Oh, a fan."

"Damn you to hell!"

He sucked up a wad of spit and spit it at the glass. Shepard grinned watching the spit run down the inside of the glass.

"I know birds don't see glass. And even though you're Terra Firma, I still though you were smarter than that."

The boy sprang from the bed and tore over to the plexiglass. Shepard stood taller and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Go ahead," Shepard said. "Knock yourself out. Take a swing at me. I even promise not to duck."

His bared his teeth. "Everything's hell, and you're the reason."

"Reason you're alive, you mean? Yeah, I guess I am."

"Not alive! Stuck with all the damned aliens using up every last thing we got left. Telling us what to do. Us bending over for them. Taking it up the ass."

"Colorful." Shepard tilted her head. "Now, where's the nuke?"

"There ain't any nuke!"

"That what your Terra Firma leaders say? What were they planning for the Scorpion?"

"The Scorpion's got the sky. We're taking Earth."

Shepard smiled brightly. "Really? Do go on."

The boy's eyes thinned.

"No, really. Continue. Your leaders worried the Scorpion will come back? That why you need to take him out."

She waited. Nothing.

"Your Scorpion was pretty sharp. Maybe he knew your guys were sticking it to him. Maybe he knew about that nuke too."

He crossed his arms and glared at her.

"No more poetic imagery?" Shepard asked. "I'll take more. Just answer my questions. What's the point in holding out? We have your plans on a datachip. We have your leaders."

"You got it all figured out. Why talk to me?"

"Because we're missing a nuke. And, if your people could count, you'd realize that too."

No response.

"Fine." Shepard stepped back. "If the Scorpion's still around, let him blow you, us, your friends, all of it to hell. One big party. Surprise party for your Terra Firma friends in town."

"Go to hell."

"You're getting stale." Shepard walked away. "I'll see you there. Scorpion's hosting."

"No one screws with the Scorpion!"

Shepard turned down the hall and held up her hand. One finger. Right back at you, kid.

XXX

Shepard lingered in the hallway outside the detention area. The boy was too low in the hierarchy to know anything anyway. He had confirmed that Terra Firma hated her. Anchor's offer to spare her during the Normandy attack, seemingly at the direction of the Scorpion, only pointed to desperate agendas. Despite the damn kid, Terra Firma wasn't going to win. That wasn't the heaviness that weighted in her chest.

She drifted to the hallway's glass wall. Stars glimmered in the darkness. So far away. A chill crept across her skin, and she drew in a deep breath. Time was slipping by, and she needed to focus on the real problems. The important problems. Screw the Terminus System.

She plunged down the hall. She needed somewhere to think, shake this feeling, clear her head. Her feet knew where she was going before her head did, before her heart did. An Alliance soldier stood guard outside the docking bay doors.

"Ma'am, excuse me," he said turning to meet her.

There was something vaguely familiar to his toad-like face. Short for a man.

"I'm the captain. Move."

"No, I'm sorry. Orders."

"Move aside. I'm a Council Spectre."

She shoved around him to the door, but the button was red and locked. Shepard moved to the side terminal.

"Let me in," she glanced over at him, "or I'll override it."

The man glared and clicked up a screen on his Omni-Tool. "I'm calling Alliance security. The dry dock is sealed by the Admiral Board."

"It's my damn ship."

"Sorry. No entrance. It's still an investigative crime scene. Only a flight admiral or Spectres Viccus or Ursul can – wait! Where are you going?"

Shepard stormed past and swung around the hallway corner. She could contact the Spectres, but there was no point. A few hours sitting on the grounded Normandy, staring out the windows at the docking bay walls, wasn't going to change this rudderless feeling. She could rest in her room, but it seemed so dark and sterile. Alone.

She wasn't far from the Summit's assembly hall. Outside the main entrance, sleepy-eyed reporters were already setting up camera equipment and going over notes on their datapads. Face perked at her footsteps, but she kept her eyes fixed ahead and put up a hand when one of them tried to rush her. Through the two-story glass sliders, a carpeted hall, wide enough for a parade of shuttles, illuminated a trail to the auditorium, but Shepard turned to the side. Guard hefted their rifles and nodded at her as she punched a key into a side door and entered through a back hall.

Past the rows and aisle of seats stood the stage. Polished blue quartz and marble shined in the stage lights. As directed, Oriana's statue stood in the stage's center surrounded by velvet ropes. Shepard moved down a side aisle as it sloped to the foot of the stage. The hollow, dead eye of the geth burned into her, and she had to tear her eyes away with a hard swallow to keep from turning around.

Movement caught her eye at the base of the stage, and she slowed. He was the only one in the auditorium, a small figure below the stage with his back turned. Her footsteps felt too loud as they echoed ahead of her down the aisle. Kaidan turned his head just enough to catch a flash of his profile before he turned back to the stage.

"Hey." She came up beside him.

"Hey."

He stared out over the stage. It stood a few meters in front of them at mid-chest level. Aside from the glint of overhead lights and the statue, there wasn't much to see. She glanced sideways at him. He hadn't looked at her once, except for the half-glance to see her coming down the aisle.

"I stopped by your room, but you weren't there," Shepard said. "Can't sleep?"

"No."

Shepard pressed her lips together and nodded.

"Met your kid in the brig. Told me to go to hell and a few other choice things."

"More than I got."

"He turned more talkative when I told him my name."

Kaidan nodded absently and glanced over at her. "Didn't get anything from him then?"

"There ain't any nuke," Shepard repeated and strolled to the stage. "That's all. Then a 'go to hell,' 'damned to hell,' then back to 'go to hell,' and something about getting it up the ass. Can't remember specifically."

"A long talk. Must like you."

"We got on." Shepard pressed her back against the stage facing him.

Kaidan folded his arms and looked away. "You're looking for me. What do you need?"

"Need?" Shepard put her elbows up behind her on the stage and hung her hands over the side. Her fingers drummed the edge of the stage. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Yeah?" He sighed, eyes shifting to her face. "What about?"

"Well." She picked at a rough spot on the edge of the stage with one hand. "I thought there may be some hard feelings."

"I already told you. I want everything to be comfortable, same as you."

"Is it comfortable?" Shepard asked. "Are you comfortable, Kaidan?"

"Look, Shepard. What do you want from me?"

He turned away and walked to a seat in the front row. He dropped down in it, elbows on the armrest. He rested his head against his fingertips and looked at her.

"Kaidan." Shepard frowned with a light laugh and stood away from the stage. She stopped short under his gaze. "You're really upset, aren't you?"

He dropped his hand and straightened in his seat but didn't say anything. Shepard sat next to him.

"Hey," Shepard said. "I didn't mean the things I said outside the party. I had too much to drink."

Kaidan held her eye. "Didn't mean them? Or didn't mean to say them?"

"Is there a difference?"

"Yes. There's a difference, Shepard."

She slouched back in her seat and looked at him. "I didn't mean them."

"And before the mission? You didn't mean that either, I suppose."

"Kaidan, really? What did I even say?" Shepard sat forward. "That I wanted things to be comfortable?"

"I don't know, Shepard. It's fine." He stood up. "If you didn't mean it, then I accept that."

Shepard studied him with narrow eyes. "Somehow, Kaidan, I don't believe you."

Kaidan twisted away sharply with a forceful exhale and paced a few steps away. Shepard strained forward in her seat to see him steeple his fingers over the bridge of his nose and close his eyes. Bulky stage lights hummed overhead as Shepard hunched over her knees and intertwined her hands.

"You still have a headache?"

Kaidan's hands dropped, and he turned back to her. "Shepard, listen - we're good. I'm not lying. I want everything to go smoothly. I don't have anything against you."

"Kaidan come on." Shepard stood. "We're friends. Don't make it all … artificial."

"Shepard …"

"Or are we not friends now? I've done something, and you say we're good but in a professional sense."

Kaidan's eyes had a flatness as he looked back at her. "I'm having a bad night. We're both tired."

"Kaidan." She came up to him. "I'm sorry. I think you're not forgiving me, because I'm not recognizing what I did wrong. Tell me what I did wrong, I'll own it. I just want things to be okay again."

"Maybe things can't be okay again, Shepard."

"Why not?"

Kaidan walked to the stage. He stretched his arm out and rested a palm on the stage. "Let's just focus on the Summit. This can all wait."

Shepard stepped up beside the stage. "What about the Terminus System?"

"Ah."

"Ah? Why didn't you tell me?"

Kaidan slid his hand off the stage and turned to her. "If it came up, I would have told you. Does it matter?"

"It matters to me." Shepard touched his arm.

He moved back. "Come on, Shepard. Stop playing with me."

"Playing with you?" She frowned. "That's what you think? I'm playing with you?"

"Let's just … not talk about this now." He turned away and strode to the auditorium's main aisle.

Shepard caught up with him. "Kaidan, please."

He stopped. She rounded him and turned to face him. His face looked distant.

"Just let me go," he said. "We won't get anywhere with this."

"Kaidan …"

He looked away, crossing his arms, but didn't move to leave again.

"Hey." She tried to catch his eye. "Kaidan, you're one the person I'm closest to out of everyone."

He met her eyes.

"Listen." She stepped closer. "I'm sorry. Was it asking about Liara? I shouldn't have, okay?"

He didn't say anything.

"Say something," she said.

"Shepard, I'm not hurt you asked. I was willing to talk to you. It was your reaction."

"Kaidan …"

Kaidan waited, but there wasn't anything for her to say. What reaction? Hell, she'd only wanted to leave and stop prying into his business. She'd tried to put off the conversation. It was no different than what he'd just been doing to her.

Kaidan sighed. "Okay," he said and passed around her.

She turned. "Kaidan …"

"'Kaidan' what?" He swung around.

"Don't go."

"Don't go?" He shifted on his feet. "Shepard, if I don't go, we'll only regret what we say to each other. Or … I'll regret it. You'll probably just need to give me another 'touching bases, keeping your eyes on the goal' dressing down."

"Dressing down?" Shepard frowned. "Hell. You're being way too sensitive."

"Fine." Kaidan extended his arms. "I'm too sensitive. Problem solved. Let's just meet up at the Summit, pretend like this never happened, keep our eyes on the goal, and go our separate ways. I won't bother you by forcing my help on you."

"Damnit, Kaidan. Cool down. That's now what I want."

"What do you want then, Shepard?"

Shepard took a deep breath. His face was so flushed. But at least, he wasn't looking away anymore. It was better than the silence. You couldn't get anywhere with that. Kaidan sighed and scuffed his boot on the floor.

"Right," he said finally. "Keep things comfortable, I forgot. Sorry if this disturbed you."

He swung away and strode down the aisle toward the auditorium doors. Shepard stood paralyzed watching him go. In seconds, he'd reach the door and be gone. Maybe gone forever after that. At the party, watching him with Liara, she'd felt this same sting realizing she'd lost him, angry that it should matter. She'd lost him a part of him, the part he'd given up, but not all of him. If he left now though, maybe she'd lose everything.

"Kaidan." She ran after him. "I was upset over Liara."

He stopped.

"It …" Shepard grit her teeth but pressed on. "It killed me."

She slowed to a stop behind him. It was easier saying it to the back of his head than to his eyes.

"I want to be over it, okay? But I felt hurt. I asked a question when I wasn't ready for the answer."

Kaidan turned, eyes distant but softened. "Shepard, I didn't give you an answer."

She pushed on. It was harder now that he faced her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I took it out on you, but I wasn't upset with you. I was angry with myself. I want the best for you, Kaidan. Whatever," she swallowed, "whoever that is. I don't want you to be alone."

"Shepard." He stepped closer. "I don't want that for you either."

Shepard strained a smile. "People come and go. There'll always be more, but you're different than me, Kaidan. You're not meant to be alone. It isn't right for you."

"It's right for you then? I don't believe that."

"I'm not trolling for pity, Kaidan. It's cyclical for me, always has been. It works out in the end. But you deserve something different."

"Cyclical?" Kaidan walked in front of her. "What does that even mean?"

Shepard shrugged. She followed the aisle lights with her eyes up to the main doors and took a step back. Kaidan was frowning at the floor in concentration.

"Kaidan, you look wiped out. I'm good. You're good. Go rest, eat, or whatever. I think we're okay, right?"

He looked up sharply. "Cyclical. Like Mindoir and Akuze, you mean?"

Breath stiffened in her lungs. She stared at him.

"That is what you meant, right?" he said.

"I …"

"It's not like that, Shepard." He came closer. "You're not losing everyone, starting over."

"Kaidan, I … I didn't say I'm losing everyone. Or anyone."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I just said it off hand." Shepard sighed and turned down the aisle to the stage.

His footsteps followed slowly behind her. She reached the stage and turned with a half-growl.

"Kaidan, go do whatever it was you were leaving to do. Rest, have breakfast, or something."

She turned and pulled herself up backward to sit on the edge of the stage.

"What about you?" he asked.

"I'm wide awake, and I'm not hungry."

"Aw, right." He stood in front of her. "Are you worried about everyone leaving?"

"Worried? No. It's normal. Everyone goes their own way. That's what happens. It's good."

"Shepard, you said yourself how the war and everything we've been through brought us – all of us – together. Forged us. Solar systems, months, and years between won't change that. You're not losing everyone. This isn't a restart."

"Maybe, but that's not how it feels. But it's normal, like I said." She leaned back on her hands and blinked into the glare of the massive spotlights mounted to the ceiling. "Sometimes I think though …" She glanced at him. His eyes were fixed on her. "You know I was meant to die on the crucible, right? Sometime I think – wonder - if everything that's followed is just some swan song. Never meant to be, so it feels wrong. My implants weren't meant to bring me this far. It's unnatural, and I can't find any peace in it."

"No." Kaidan leaned into the stage next to her legs. "You've said this before, but I don't think it's true. What's meant to be is what happens, if there's any meaning to it at all. You fought for so long, so hard, and now you're on the other side. It's resolved. You lost the purpose that was leading you on. That's why you feel lost. Find a purpose again, Shepard. Maybe it's not where you think. You don't want to be a politician, ride a desk, I get it. But maybe it's time to stop sleeping in the back row."

"I don't actually—"

"I know." Kaidan rested his elbow on the stage. "I know you speak up and you're there, but stop taking directions from them. Tell them what you want to do. When you find it. You have the Normandy. You have people that love you, respect you. You can do a lot more than you're doing now. I think you know it. That's why you're restless."

Shepard stared out the rows of empty seats still leaning back on her palms. A hand covered hers.

"And you're not alone, Shepard. Everyone will want to hear from you."

Shepard glanced down. "Even in the Terminus System?"

"Especially in the Terminus System." He drew his hand back. "I still care about you, Shepard, whatever it sounded. I'll always have your back, you know that. And I'll always want to hear from you."

She held his eye. "Thanks, Kaidan."

"Just need the buoy up," he added.

He smiled back at her softly, and it finally felt real again. That familiar warmth tinted his eyes as he gazed back at her. She still felt the echoing touch of his palm on the back of her hand and wanted to feel it again – just for a second, nothing more – but he dropped his elbow off the stage and straightened his slouch against the stage.

"So, what're you doing here?" Shepard asked.

Kaidan's eyes shifted to the stage. "Worried."

She nodded silently. She studied the line scrunching between his eyes as he stared at the stage.

"Been practicing your barrier?" she asked.

"A little." He smiled up at her lopsidedly. "That damn train didn't leave me much to work with. Even now, I can feel it - the strain - but I've been trying."

"And?"

"I can wrap it but," he shook his head and stared back at the floor, "it's not like yours, Shepard. I can't get the weave tight enough. It's like pulling a knit cap over too large of a head - the threads pull apart and expose these gaps. I don't know …"

"You're wrung out."

"Maybe part of it, not all of it. I'm not you, Shepard."

He placed his palm on the blue quartz of the stage's surface and flared blue. A barrier flickered over his skin and spread out from his hand. Static tingled under her legs as the energy crackled across the stage floor. Her lips widened in to a grin that strained her cheeks, and she pressed her palm to the snapping surface of the floor. Her skin glowed, and she pushed out with her barrier.

It was easy like she remembered with his barrier. She rarely fortified someone's shield or barrier. Creating the barrier itself, the infrastructure, was easier than the interweaving and strengthening. Driving your energy through the barrier's layers, digging and prying into the fabric, could weaken and tear it. But if you didn't interweave enough, it didn't strengthen. She wasn't alone in not being proficient. Few biotics were.

The barrier's weaves loosened as she pushed through. His strands looped and opened to bring her fibers through. Rather than remaining a static matrix as she wove through, his energy intertangled and pulled in hers. It was as easy as always. It wasn't raw power, but skill. She was so-so at best in strengthening barriers. Kaidan was better, but this – being able to help the one strengthening you, to keep the infrastructure while reaching out to meld into the fortification – that, was something on a whole different level. All the team building exercises on Jump Zero weren't wasted on him. The floor's glow deepened into a cobalt as their blurred energies solidified into a solid piece.

Kaidan focused on his palm with a squinted-eyed concentration, and Shepard studied him, her cheeks aching from the smile. She caught his eyes, and he looked up with a broadening grin.

"We're good at this," Shepard said.

"Yeah, we are." He laughed lightly and looked back at his hand. His fingers splayed out on the granite. "Still, I think I'd rather not show off."

"Yeah, me too."

She held the barrier relishing the intense familiarity and closeness of their melded fields – their energies sparking against each other, beating at the same rhythm, a sense of him shivering in her chest. Kaidan frowned at his palm though, and she felt the strain too - that jittery feeling slowly welling up in her bones. She lifted her hand.

"Are you hungry?" Shepard asked and drew her hand back into her lap.

The barrier collapsed. Kaidan let out a long breath and stepped back from the stage. His eyes moved up to her face.

"It's the middle of the night," he said.

"You like eggs, right?"


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"You ate a lot for not being hungry," Kaidan said standing up from the couch in Shepard's quarters.

He reached over the wine glasses and grabbed her plate off the glass coffee table. The fork scrapped across the plate's surface as he walked over to the sink. He glanced over his shoulder to see her twisting to watch him over the back of the couch.

"Between our two appetites," she said, "the chicken came damn close to extinction tonight."

Kaidan clattered the dishes into the sink. "Think that's what happened to Earth's dinosaurs?"

"Depends on how good their eggs were scrambled."

"A fair point. Probably not a lot of Neanderthals recovering from biotic fatigue though."

Kaidan turned on the faucet.

"Kaidan, just come back over here."

"Why?" He glanced over his shoulder. "Takes two minutes."

"You're showing me up in front of my hamster, Kaidan. Now he'll know it takes two minutes to clean a dish instead of a week. Those beady eyes are going to judge me."

"Just be glad I'm not showing you up in front of some fish too."

He stacked the last plate by the sink to dry and wiped his hands on a dish towel. He nodded at the hamster cage standing on an end table beside her desk.

"That's the judgmental hamster? Same one I'm to 'beware of'?"

"Your fear's blood in the water, Kaidan." Shepard slouched against the couch's armrest with an arm draped over the back cushions. "You may have impressed him with your dishwashing skills, but at the end of the night, he's still loyal to me."

Kaidan tossed the dish towel on the counter and crossed back to the couch. "Hope your faith isn't misplaced, Shepard. Hate to see you get double-crossed by a hamster."

"It would be a low point."

Shepard pulled her knees up as Kaidan fell onto the opposite end of the couch.

"Tired?" she asked.

"Yeah. No use now." He checked his Omni-Tool. "Four hours."

"Any ideas for finding a missing nuke?"

"We could start tearing HQ apart indiscriminately."

"If we knew it was here."

"If we knew Terra Firma really had it."

Kaidan slumped further into the couch and rested his head back against the cushion. The sky was lightening faintly in front of them. A spectrum from pale navy at the top of the window darkened into a black on the horizon.

"Hey." Shepard poked him with her bare foot.

Kaidan's head tipped over lazily to look at her.

"I have sharpies," she said.

"Just make it dressy enough for the Summit. You owe me that much."

"So, the black sharpie, not the orange?"

"Obviously, and not a curly mustaches or handlebars. A goatee or something classy."

"A classy sharpied goatee?"

"That's all I ask."

Shepard scooted into the middle of the couch and wrapping her arms around her knees.

"Hey. You really think Mason was the Scorpion?"

Kaidan glanced over at her. "I don't know. What do you think?"

"I think they're a lot of holes."

Kaidan straightened in his seat. "I do too. The Scorpion wouldn't have been invited to that meeting. They had something up their sleeve for him."

"If the Scorpion's still free," Shepard said, "what happens? He'll have pieced together what happened to the Alliance moles."

Kaidan put his arm across the back of the couch and settled into the corner. "If he knew about their duplicity, maybe the Scorpion was using them back this whole time. The datachip shows they didn't know about the floor. The Scorpion's motives may never have been the same as Terra Firma's."

"You still think revenge?"

"Why not?" Kaidan shrugged. "Why have the floor at all? A bomb would be easier if it's just about taking out your enemies. Instead he get to see their fear, demonstrates his supremacy, uses them as an example with the entire galaxy is watching."

Shepard rested her chin on her knees. "If that's true, it's about more than Terra Firma's cause. It's about his own cause. We were worried about scaring him off, but maybe he doesn't even care about the wider attack. He doesn't need to regroup and plan another strike, he only cares about his own agenda and what happens onstage."

"And the floor is still there."

"Think he has the nuclear warhead?" Shepard asked.

"Yes."

Shepard's face stiffened.

"I think he intercepted his package," Kaidan said.

"Return to sender?"

Kaidan nodded. "You showcase yourself singlehandedly killing a roomful of the galaxy's most important people, you don't just slink away."

Shepard sighed and hugged her knees in tighter. "Evacuate the city, leaving a nuclear warhead to drive your point home? It would teach a lot of people a lesson. But," she lifted her chin and looked at him, "we stop the Scorpion on stage, act two doesn't happen."

A chill ran down his back. It must have shown on his face.

"Kaidan," Shepard said. "We can do this. We'll stop him."

The solid look in her eyes made his breath release, and he gave her a slow nod. She'd accomplished the impossible so many times, and he'd trusted her through all that. A corner of her lip turned up as she hugged her knees studying him.

His gaze drifted back to the window. In less than twenty-four hours, they'd be on the other side. Everything he'd worked for in the last year would have an answer. Win or lose. And they had to win. They couldn't have won the war just to lose the whole point in winning it. Though, that was narrow minded. He frowned. There was more beyond Earth. Even the beyond the Council, all the alien leaders, the greatest minds in the galaxy - there was still life beyond Sol. The war was always still worth the winning.

His eyes focused on the reflection staring back at him in the dark glass – Shepard beside him on the couch - and the air congealed in his throat. In less than twenty-four hours, they were done working together. For a long time. Maybe forever.

"Kaidan." Shepard dropped her legs into an Indian style sit.

"What? I'm not falling asleep. Just thinking."

"Can I sit next to you?"

Kaidan's brow pinched. "You are sitting next to me."

Shepard's legs slid off the couch, and she scooted up against him. His arm folded in on the back of the couch, and he sat up taller with a straightening spine as she tucked under his arm. It was a light touch as she rested against him as if hesitant to settle her full weight. His fingertips ran across his lips as he gazed down at her with tight, shallow breaths. The vanilla scent of her hair pounded blood through his veins, and her eyelashes blinked softly as she stared out the window. Warmth expanded and contracted against him with each breath and pulled his fingertips from his lips. Slowly, he lowered his arm and slid it down around her shoulders. He forced his breathing to slow as his body throbbed with a heartbeat.

Her warmth, her smell, the weight of her against his side - it felt like before. It made him feel heady and alive. But 'before' had been a long time ago. Years now even. So much lost time. It was another lifetime when he'd served under her command on the Normandy SR-. So brief in the scheme of things. Coming together just in time to be torn apart. All those lost years as time just bleed away. Then to find each other again and be together, this impossible thing he'd yearned for all those nights in the dark alone picking at old wounds he was afraid to let heal. Then, he'd lost it again. Lost her. Again.

That night in Anderson's apartment all those years ago, she'd broken down in front of him. The only time he'd seen her cry. She'd wanted something she couldn't have, but wasn't this it? Not countering a terrorist attack, but the being normal, together, happy. The future had unfurled in front of him of their whole life together - things they'd do and see, laughter and probably heartache, a shared life defined by the same experiences. All those dreams, hopes, plans, and longings welled up inside him. But dreams were just dreams, and what Shepard dreamed didn't have a place for him.

Shepard tucked her feet up and slouched against him. She turned her face into his chest, and an arm slid across his stomach. It pulled him in tight, and his heart fluttered in his throat. He settled back into the couch and rested his head back on the cushion. Maybe James was right. He should just live in the moment. Anything else just made him sad.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Kaidan cracked his eyes open. He blinked into the sunlight. A warm weight shifted against his chest, and he remembered.

"Shepard!"

She lifted her head leaving a cold spot on his chest.

"What? Oh!" She jolted upright. "Damnit! What time is it?"

She turned on her Omni-Tool. Kaidan leaped up from the couch.

"The Summit starts in an hour!" Shepard scrambled to her feet. "I have messages."

Kaidan checked his Omni-Tool. "Me too."

"Damnit." Shepard touched her face then hair. "I need to get ready. I have to go on stage."

She rushed to the bathroom. Her footsteps faltered as she reached the doorway, and she stopped short.

"Kaidan." She turned back sharply.

He slowed halfway to the front door. She leaned an arm against the doorway.

"I want to make sure we're on the same page. About last night … we're still both Alliance soldiers."

"Shepard, don't give me the talk again." Kaidan pressed fingertips to his temple. "I get it. I know where we stand."

She tapped her nails on the metal door frame and studied him.

"Still," she straightened, "I don't want to confuse you. Things probably feel mixed, but they're not. No changes. Same course."

Kaidan crossed his arms. "Are we done?"

"Hey, I'm not trying to upset you again," she took a step forward, "but I don't want you to think I'm playing with you either. I want to set things straight to avoid that. And … I'm sorry. Now that I'm thinking about it, I realize the mixed—"

"Shepard." He sighed. "I don't want to rehash this. I get what you're saying. I like spending time with you. We're friends. Let's leave it at that."

Shepard narrowed her eyes on him. "We're okay?"

A memory of Liara in the Alliance gardens made his stomach turned. He'd done the same thing, worse even. Mixed signals and excuses.

"We're okay." Kaidan gave her a quick smile.

"Okay." Shepard backed up and pointed a finger at him. "You better mean it. No freezing me out."

"I mean it." Kaidan's Omni-Tool buzzed. He checked it. "James."

"Answer it," Shepard said. "Tell him I'm coming."

The bathroom door shut. Kaidan punched up the audio comm on his Omni-Tool.

"James."

"L2. Damn, hombre. You're a hard guy to find."

"Hey. I'm on my way."

"You seen Shepard? The admirals, Councilors, everyone's looking for her."

"She's coming." Kaidan moved to the front door and hovered a hand over the button. "Just get everyone around. I'll be right there."

"Comprende. I'll tell 'um to stop printing milk cartons with your face."

"Thoughtful."

"Seriously though, L2. You got people looking for you."

"I'm on my way."

Kaidan punched it off and hit the button for the door. Kaidan stepped forward as the doors slid aside. He froze. Admiral Wilson's hand paused halfway to the door's buzzer. His eyes popped wide, and a frown burrowed deep between his eyebrows as he held Kaidan in his stare.

"Major Alenko."

Kaidan took a step back. They'd nearly collided.

"Admiral Wilson."

Wilson glanced past Kaidan and returned a hardening expression. "Where's Commander Shepard?"

A man's voice came from down the barrack hallway. "You found her?"

Admiral Hackett strode into view. His eyes met Kaidan's, and his feet tripped. Kaidan's face burned. Hackett's jaw set, and he cast Wilson a sideways look before tugging on his uniform jacket and facing the door.

"We've been looking for you," Hackett said. "Both of you."

"I'm on my way," Kaidan said.

"An hour before the Summit's opening ceremony?" Wilson's voice held an edge. "As a Council Spectre, you should have been there long before this. Shepard too. Where is she?"

"She's coming," Kaidan said. "She'll be there soon. I had better—"

"Wait." Wilson stopped Kaidan mid-step.

Kaidan looked to Hackett, but the admiral's face hardened and he dropped his eyes.

"Get Shepard," Wilson said. "She's in there? These are her quarters, correct?"

Kaidan's heart pumped, but Hackett wasn't looking at him and Wilson's glare sharpened. Kaidan backed up into the room and walked to the bathroom door. He tapped his knuckled on the door. Water ran on the other side. She must be showering. This was shaping up great.

"Shepard."

The water stopped.

"Kaidan?"

She wouldn't come out in a towel, would she? They weren't involved anymore but … oh hell, what if she did? He'd better warn her. He had to say something.

"Shepard." He leaned in closer to the door. "The admirals are here."

"What?"

Hackett and Wilson loitered just inside the doorway. The front door slid shut behind them. They must have walked in while he was still turned to the bathroom door. From the dark look on Wilson's face, they'd heard what Kaidan had said. Wilson knew it was a warning for her. It probably made Kaidan look guilty. Still, it was better than if she came out unprepared.

Kaidan should say something maybe. Something along the lines of 'this isn't what it looks like.' But with their stormy expressions, it wouldn't help. It might open up the flood gates instead. Even Hackett by himself, probably wouldn't be convinced. The regs said fraternization was being 'unduly familiar.' It didn't say you had to have slept with someone per se. The whole situation was wrong - late for the Summit, unreachable in her apartment in the early morning as she took a shower, and then coupled with their history. Damn, maybe the truth was bad. It was bad in it of itself, even without the assumptions.

He should have thought about this last night. The risk had felt so removed. The admirals stared around the room. They eyed the pair of drinking glasses on the coffee table next to the open wine bottle. Kaidan touched his forehead and glanced under his hand at Shepard's bed. Let it be made. It was for the most part. At least, not disheveled. Kaidan snapped his eyes back to the admirals. Wilson's stare burned into him. His eyes shifted to the bed and back to Kaidan. He'd seen Kaidan looking then. Damnit. Kaidan was falling apart. Where the hell was Shepard? The bathroom door opened.

Shepard stepped out of the bathroom. A steamy shampoo smell puffed out around her. Her rustled hair dripped onto a white tank top. It was more of an undershirt. It clung to her damp skin almost translucent.

"Kaidan. What did you …" The towel hanging in her hand dropped to the floor. "Admiral Wilson. Admiral Hackett."

She shuffled back a few steps into the bathroom and snatched her white uniform shirt from the counter. She slipped it over her head. She must not have heard him then. Apparently Kaidan was loud enough for the admiral to hear him, but not loud enough for the person he actually meant to warn. Still, this was better than the towel. He just had to hang on to that.

Shepard's blue eyes flicked sideways to Kaidan before focusing back on the admirals. She scrunched her hair with one hand.

"This is a surprise."

"Clearly," Hackett said.

His gaze cut over to Kaidan, and his lips tightened.

"I'm on a timetable," Shepard said, "but what can I do for you?"

"Timetable?" Wilson's face radiated. "Tell me, Shepard, what kind of timetable are you on? No one could get ahold of you or Alenko for hours."

Shepard strolled to her dresser. She grabbed her hairbrush off the top and shoved her bare feet into her boots. She didn't even tie the laces.

"Let's go then." She motioned with her hairbrush and strode toward the door.

"Commander Shepard," Wilson snapped as she passed him.

Shepard paused at the front door. "That's why you're here, right? Looking for me for the Summit. Probably hoping to talk me into being the alternate. Answer's still 'no' while we're worried about Terra Firma. But for now, I'm saying I'm ready. We should go, admirals."

Wilson's jaw flexed, face red, fist clenching and unclenching at his side. Hackett watched Wilson silently then cleared his throat.

"Commander Shepard's right. We found them. They're needed at the Summit. We can discuss the alternate position with her later. The Council's waiting for them."

Wilson stormed up to Shepard. "You may be a Council Spectre and so may Alenko. But you're not above Alliance authority, living by your own law. If you can't sit in our hierarchy, stand under the same protocol as every other Alliance soldier, you have no business in that uniform." Wilson swung to face Kaidan. "And you, Alenko! You're still on probation following your suspension."

Admiral Hackett's eyes widened and flashed to Kaidan. He rushed to Wilson.

"Admiral …" he said.

Wilson's voice drowned out Hackett as his eyes darted between Kaidan and Shepard. "Not only breaking regulations, but you flaunt them! And you've caused the very thing those regulations exist to prevent. This has affected your work performance, caused burden and disruption, embarrassed the Alliance. Your 'distraction' has jeopardized this entire operation. You're both—"

"Admiral," Hackett repeated raising his voice.

"This?" Shepard said waving between them. " _This_ is what is distracting from the operation. I have obligations to the Council. This can wait."

She slammed a fist into the door's button and threw a look over her shoulder at Kaidan.

"Come on."

Kaidan's legs moved like sandbags, and he stumbled to the door. He let the admirals file through the door first. Hackett patted Kaidan's shoulder with a sigh as he passed, but Kaidan couldn't meet his eyes. Hackett's long, heaving sigh rang in his ears as Kaidan turned down the hall. He jogged to catch up with Shepard and fell in beside her as she turned a corner. A slow, rattling breath escaped through his lips as his heart pounded in his ears.

"You all right?'' Shepard glanced over at him.

"No."

She sighed and picked up their pace.

"Why are two admirals the ones looking for us anyway? Admirals!" she mumbled. "Talk me into be alternate, so they can shove some Alliance agenda down my throat then throw me up on stage."

"Maybe I should have said something," Kaidan said.

"And say what?" Shepard said. "Say anything, it's admitting you think there's something needing to be explained. Better to act naïve. Ignore it."

"You don't think there'll be blowback on that?"

They turned down the Council wing. The Councilors should be in their chamber. Some of the messages had said as much.

"I don't know," Shepard said finally. "Let's just hope … well, we'll take it as it comes. We have the Summit to focus on. They were right about one thing. We should have been here sooner."

"Yeah," Kaidan said with a dry throat.

He'd become so irresponsible. All the stupid things he'd done lately. People were probably already filling the Summit's auditorium. The stage was right there - exposed, except for the kinetic shield. Nothing must have happened yet, there wasn't any commotion, but people could have been hurt because of him.

"Shepard, I'm going to keep an eye on the stage. Check in with the Council for me."

Shepard nodded. "Check in with you later, Kaidan."

He jogged down a side hall toward the swell of voices and activity. It was finally here.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

"Miranda!" Shepard rushed over. "So glad to see you."

Miranda clicked across the Summit's crowded back stage. "Glad to see me, Shepard? Or your dress uniform?"

Shepard snatched the hanger from her. The roar of voices from the auditorium around the corner felt like a ticking clock. Shepard darted though the crowd of award recipients and past the buffet table.

"That Alicia Mason?" Miranda asked.

"Uh, probably. Getting some award," Shepard said.

"Wrote a brilliant paper on cross-species transplant. Her work was innovative for medic supplies and protocol. Finally, someone's getting an award for something more having a fast trigger finger. Surprised she's here with her brother and father …"

"Sick?" Shepard said quickly and nodded as they passed two Alliance officers in dress uniform. "I'm a little surprised myself. Must be an important award."

Shepard's eyes keyed in on the back hall off the reception area.

"Don't forget our picture together, Shepard," a smooth voice said.

Shepard stopped short. Miranda stumbled against her. A slender figure lounged on a sofa against the wall.

"Aria?" Shepard said. "Hey. You know, I actually needed to talk to you."

"Shepard, the Summit's starting in minutes," Miranda murmured in her ear.

Aria ran her eyes up and down Miranda before turning to Shepard with a smirk. "Better mind your celebrity handler, Shepard."

Shepard checked the time on her Omni-Tool and gave a growl. She pointed at Aria. "Later. I have a proposition you're going to like. There's someone I need to run it by, but—"

"Shepard," Miranda hissed.

"Later." Shepard pointed at Aria again.

Aria returned a lazy shrug. Shepard turned away with a skip and rushed toward the back hallway. She slipped out of the crowd and around the back corner into a dark hall.

Miranda squinted standing at the corner. "What's back here?"

"It's labeled." Shepard pointed at the exit sign glowing at the end of the hallway. She dropped the hangered dress uniform on the floor and untucked her shirt. "Be my lookout."

"You're changing here? Really, Shepard?"

"I don't have time."

Miranda sighed, hand on her hip, and tipped her head back to look out at the crowd.

"You look unkept," Miranda said turning back to her.

"That's what I'm trying to rectify."

Shepard threw her pants against the wall. They slid on to a heap atop her discarded shirt.

"If we'd taken the first corner, Shepard, you could have warmed up the crowd for the Councilors' entrance."

"I was waiting for you to say something like that."

Shepard lifted the hanger of clothes off the floor.

Miranda sighed. "They're probably wrinkled now."

"Five-second rule." Shepard stripped a dress shirt off the hanger. "See? Just fine."

"Can you even tell in the dark? The councilor next to you onstage is going to be pointing out the wad of chewing gum on your sleeve."

"You can give me the once over."

"And if you don't pass? The Plan B you just took off is now also a wrinkled mess on the same floor."

"Ha!" Shepard buttoned her jacket. "Plan B's what you're wearing."

"I don't think so, Shepard."

"What? You'd take a bullet for me but not swap clothes?"

"I've seen how you treat clothes." Miranda nodded at the lump against the wall. "If I take a bullet for you, I'd better get better treatment than that."

"So morbid." Shepard tugged on the bottom of the jacket and stood tall. "Passable?"

Miranda flashed her Omni-Tool light into Shepard's face.

"Miranda." Shepard raised a hand and squinted through her fingers at Miranda.

"Passable." Miranda turned the light off. "Now where do you want us? Your posse's in the backroom."

"Was there a good turn out?" Shepard brushed past Miranda.

"You said come armed and ready for trouble. Of course, they came. You say show up for silent bingo and Beethoven, they'd show up, Shepard."

Miranda snagged her arm, and turned Shepard to face her.

"What?"

Miranda picked at Shepard's hair shifting strands down her part. "You're unkept, as I said."

"Fixable?"

"There." Miranda nodded. "Your makeup …"

"I tried not to wash it off in the shower. I can only do so much."

Shepard walked back into the backstage reception hall.

"You sleep on your side? Your makeup's worn off on the left side."

"I'll make sure to only face my right side to the audience then."

"The Summit gains in entertainment value."

Faces smiled and nodded as Shepard rushed around them.

"Quite the guest list," Miranda murmured. "Afraid of offending someone so they invited everyone?"

Shepard skirted along the wall. "Opening ceremony. Lots of awards. Introductions. Photo ops."

"Congratulations by the way. The Laurel."

Shepard loosened the button on her collar and shrugged. "I should split it a dozen ways. It's not just mine."

"It's yours, Shepard. It's for the crucible. None of us were there."

"I know. Not a day goes by I don't know that."

They turned down away from the crowd and down a hall lined with doors.

"What on Earth does that mean?" Miranda asked catching up with her.

"It means …" Shepard stopped in front of a door. "No one knows what happened up there. Maybe I shouldn't be getting a damned award."

"Damned award?" Miranda put her hands on her hips. "Hope that isn't going to be in your acceptance speech."

"It's already on my cue cards."

"Don't be cheeky."

"Cheeky?" Shepard jabbed the door's open button. "I like that."

"After you," Miranda said as the door slid open.

XXX

Shepard glanced at the faces as they started to stand.

"Any questions?" Shepard asked.

She only got headshakes around the small backstage room. Voices swelled as people moved around.

"We know what we need to do, Shepard," Garrus said coming up to her. "Can't do much with that kinetic shield enclosing the stage."

"I know. Just keep your eyes open. There could be trouble in the crowd or from outside."

"I've studied the nuclear warhead's schematics." Tali came up beside Garrus. "Downloaded some upgrades on my Omni-Tool. I think it's very doable if … well, hopefully we won't need it. Where's Kaidan?"

"By the stage."

"He's seen the schematics too?" Tali asked.

"He's the one that gave them to me. Pearls before swine. But I knew where to get them."

Tali sighed and turned her head to Garrus. "I wish I wasn't scheduled on stage. I want to pace around with a gun like you."

"You'll be plenty of help where you are, Tali," Shepard said.

"Shep. What the hell are we gonna do out in that bony ass hallway for eight hours?"

"Jack." Shepard turned to Jack. Grunt and Javik flanking her. "It's important. Trouble will be either coming in or going out."

"Did I ask why we're doing it? Not my question."

"Do whatever you want for entertainment," Shepard said. "The Summit's streaming live."

Jack rolled her eyes. Javik and Grunt seemed equally thrilled.

"Trade off with someone for a few hours if it's such a death sentence," Shepard said and glanced around the room. She waved at Miranda. "Hey, Miranda. You're starting at the stage. After a bit, why don't you trade off with Jack?"

"Shepard, please." Miranda tossed her head and gave Jack a once-over. She smirked.

"The fancy bitch thinks she's too good to stand in the hallway?"

Miranda rolled her eyes away with a hiss of breath. "You'd actually need to put on clothes if they let through the front door."

Jack's face cut into a grin above brightening eyes. "If you—"

"Enough," Shepard said putting up her hands. "Everyone to their spots. The Summit starts soon. Now where's … Ah! Liara."

Liara stood rigidly in the corner, a dark wrinkle between her eyes, and snapped off her Omni-Tool screen. She looked up with a hard glint in her eye.

"I was listening," she said in a soft voice, "but I never heard my part."

"Keep your ear to the ground," Shepard said and walked over to her. "You have sources out there?"

"Of course. I have sources everywhere." Liara folded her arms and looked levelly at Shepard. "I hear all sorts of things."

"Good." Shepard nodded. "Anything unusual, let me know. The whole of HQ building could be a strike zone. If the Scorpion's here, he'll have something lined up to escape."

"That's all?"

"Check in with Kaidan and Miranda. They're watching the stage. They may need you to stand in."

"Very well."

Shepard frowned at her. "Everything good?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Liara's mouth stiffened. She glided to the door. "I'll let you know if anything happens, Shepard."

Shepard nodded and scanned the group for the anyone she hadn't touched base with yet.

"James!" She came up behind him. "You got the Summit itinerary I sent?"

"Uh, think so," he said turning to face her.

"Check before I head off." Shepard pointed at his Omni-Tool.

James brought up the extranet browser. "You messaged it to me?"

Shepard squinted at his screen and moved in closer. "What's that?"

James flipped over to his messages. "What?"

"That other page you had up. Some Alliance soldier's profile." Shepard frowned. "Why? You know him?"

"No. Do you?"

"No." Shepard studied him. "Why are you so shifty?"

"Shifty? I ain't shifty, Lola."

"Uh, yeah. You are. What's with that soldier? Why you checking him out? You know something."

"What? No. This has nothing to do with that." James avoided her eyes. "Just seeing what he's about, you know?"

"And?"

"Seems all right." James shrugged and turned to his Omni-Tool. "This the itinerary, Lola?"

Shepard peered over his shoulder. "Yep."

"Chido."

"Now, tell me the truth. I'll just keep bugging you."

"Lola, come on." James looked her in the face. Shepard put her hands on her hips. "Okay, fine. Saw him taking Rebecca out. Just, you know … curious."

"Sizing up the competition you mean."

"Competition? Nah. That ain't it. Just curious."

"Uh huh," Shepard stifled a grin. "Well, just make sure you read the agenda. Let's head out. Everyone, move out. Comms online."

Shepard head to the door. James and Miranda followed her out.

"You sure you want me backstage?" James said. "Shouldn't Jack be here. I ain't a biotic."

"Exactly. You're Alliance. Wandering around should go unnoticed. Besides, bullets take down a biotic terrorist just as well as a biotic throw."

"Damn good point, Lola."

The noise level ratcheted up as they neared the stage entrance. Shepard halted short of the bright light peeking through the curtains. She raised her voice to them.

"Take side entrances. I'm going onstage for some intro thing."

"Not your award?" James asked.

Miranda gave a slanted smile and shot Shepard a look.

"What?" James said.

"You think anything gets accomplished during the first two hours of a meeting like this?" Miranda asked.

James frowned. Shepard hesitated at the corner of the stage and listened. Wait … damn. They were already introducing the agenda items for day three. They'd probably called for her when introducing the key people on stage. They must have finally just pushed ahead when she never came. She'd better join the pack. She turned back to Miranda and James and waved the off.

"Go," she said.

She took a deep breath and stepped out onto the stage. A salarian subcouncil attendant paused between sentences at the front podium, and a few murmurs moved through the audience as she joined the cluster of Alliance VIPs. The stage lights' glare blinded her from seeing the audience, but the heavy noise rolling onto the stage told her enough about how many there were.

The salarian cleared his throat and continued as Shepard stepped in beside Admiral Hackett. The frown he gave her out of the corner of his face said enough. He sighed and focused back on the salarian as he introduced the agenda for day four.

Across the stage on the other side of the statue, the Councilors stood at their lecterns. They had a heavy presence even pushed off to the side to allow for a stage-full of the top honorees and war figures. There were only three Councilors just like the olden days. They obviously hadn't been receptive to the Alliance's other options for human council alternate. Admiral Wilson had to be fuming somewhere. Maybe that's why it was so hot up here. Or maybe it was just the lights.

If the Council meant to strong arm her into the spot by turning down other Alliance options, they were going to be mistaken. It only made her want to dig her heels in further. That reflex was one thing she did share with the council. Damn, she was glad she wasn't over there with them - swaying under the overhead lights, gripping a lectern as the hours wore by, voices droning, opinions traded, but nothing decided, on and on. In a little while, she'd file off stage and wouldn't need to come back up until she received the damn award. If they really knew what it meant, they'd be glad she wasn't standing at a lectern directing all the big decisions.

She swallowed and straightened. Her eyes were starting to adjust. Kaidan was a shadowy figure to her right standing below the stage. He leaned almost idly against the stage just inside the kinetic shield with his arm resting on the stage's surface. As if feeling her watching him, he turned away from surveying the crowd. Their eyes met, and he gave her a thin smile.

She wished he was in armor, but it would be too suspicious. He was still in his uniform from the night before. Shepard smirked. She should have had Miranda bring him something too, if only for his reaction. His face alone when he realized she'd dug through his clothes, then the patronizing way she'd present the outfit she'd chosen for him to wear - if Shepard had only thought of it. It would have required a little breaking and entering, but nothing Miranda couldn't pull off.

A shadow moved next to Kaidan, and Shepard strained to make out the slim silhouette. Liara. She stood just off to the side toward the back. Shepard frowned. They should be spread out, not grouped together. Spread out, you could close in and surround. Packed together and a few well-placed grenades or biotic bursts, and you were down not one but two. Kaidan knew better. Shepard gritted her teeth and tore her eyes away.

She stared into the bright lights. Somewhere along the line, Liara had decided she was more Kaidan's friend than she was Shepard's. It was a childish thing for Shepard to care about, and that's if 'friends' was even the right word. Shepard's imagination spilled open with images of them together – Kaidan's thumb tracing Liara's cheek as his lips brushed down her jaw to her throat, her fingertips digging into his skin as they trailed down his back, the soft moanings and sighs. Shepard drew in a sharp breath like pulling in specks of glass and shoved the images away.

"And on the agenda for day six-" the salarian continued.

Shepard shifted on her feet and forced her mind to focus on ceremony. It was going to be a long day.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Kaidan stifled a yawn and stood up taller beside the stage. He touched the pistol at his side again and glanced down to check the rifle leaning beside his legs. Laying on the edge of the stage next to his arm, a datapad glowed with a list of the day's award ceremonies. The Summit was hours in, and nothing had happened that wasn't bullet-pointed on the agenda. He needed to keep his attention sharp though.

Hopefully, his small presence relative to the enormity of the stage wasn't drawing too much attention. The Alliance brass in the front row gave him occasional, narrow-eyed frowns. Standing here idle, lounging with an elbow on the stage, occasionally reading off a datapad – he was cutting a proud figure for being a Council Spectre.

If he looked passive, he felt far-from through. Each quick movement on stage, a slight bend toward the floor, or Heaven-forbid someone dropped something – Kaidan would flinch, skin rippling with static, only to discharge as the offender continued about something normal. Should a biotic on his list do anything sudden, make a move toward the statue, Kaidan had already decided, he'd give himself away and extend his barrier. But, so far, that hadn't happened. Yet.

Kaidan squinted across the stage at Shepard's silhouette resting her back against the wall, hand up on the stage. Miranda was somewhere around too, but having more than two people touching the stage would only look odd. Just having Miranda and Liara out front probably looked odd. Whether Liara or Miranda could push a barrier out far enough to cover the floor, Kaidan's wasn't sure. He'd practiced, and he could still barely do it. Still, it was better to have some backup. Shepard would be back on stage at the end to receive her award, and then for the final presentation of all the award winners. Kaidan didn't know how he was going to watch all of them at once.

The crowd applauded as the hanar ambassador backed up from the spotlight. The salarian master of ceremonies clapped as he took center stage again. A table and chair had replaced the Councilor's lecterns, and they stood clapping along with the audience. Ilk sat down after two solid claps and stared up at the ceiling. It was probably a boring day for them. Just making an appearance, cheering on awardees, no decisions, or arguing. The salarian announced a recess and with a nod the lights rose up in the auditorium.

"Switch, Kaidan?" Liara came up beside him. Her eyes had that sharp edge she'd been looking at him with all day.

"No, I'm good."

Liara sighed. She probably felt useless. He felt useless just standing here. Sometimes the important jobs were the ones that won everything or did nothing. Either you were a hero or utterly useless.

"Just keep watching," Kaidan said.

People stood up from their seats and the crowd noise swelled. Miranda looped around the stage toward them. Kaidan looked across the stage. Shepard rested a palm on the floor as she scanned the crowd.

"Kaidan," Miranda said. "Everything's in the clear?"

"So far."

"Figured." Miranda stopped in front of him and tapped her fingernails on the stage. "Comm's cutting in and out. You noticed?"

"The kinetic shield," Kaidan dipped his head toward the stage. "It interferes."

Miranda peered at him. "You look tired. Long night?"

Liara came up beside Miranda and faced him. Her eyes glinted at him above the tight line of her mouth. Kaidan frowned at her not for the first time that day and drew his eyes back to Miranda.

"Yeah," he said.

Miranda squinted at his chest suddenly and cocked her head. She stepped forward and spread a hand across his chest.

"What are you doing?" He grabbed her hand.

She bent her face in closer to his shirt. He shoved her hand back and retreated a step. Miranda straightened with a growing smirk and looked him in the eye.

"What?" he said double checking his arm was firmly on the stage. "I put this on last night. It hasn't even been twenty-four hours. I showered. Why're you picking at me?"

Miranda tapped her fingernails on the stage and tilted her head at him.

"You and Shepard getting along pretty well, hmm?"

"What?" His eyebrows drew together. "Miranda, did _you_ get sleep last night?"

Liara looked sideways at Miranda. The look she flicked to him glittered with something he couldn't define. Her arms crossed under her breasts.

Miranda pointed at his chest. "You're wearing the other half of Shepard's makeup."

Kaidan frowned and looked down. Miranda tapped a tannish stain on the side of his chest.

"Your right side, her left. Makes sense." Miranda chuckled. "Be glad the Alliance brass aren't this insightful."

"The Alliance brass already got their insight," Kaidan said shifting against the side of the stage. He glanced at Liara. "Nothing happened."

"But they think it did?" Miranda leaned an elbow against the stage. "Ever hear of double jeopardy? If you already have to do the time …"

He drew his eyes away from Liara and gave Miranda a flat look. She smirked back at him, and the lights flashed overhead. People move down the aisles finding seats. Miranda pushed away from the stage.

"I'm going back to the other side. I'll deliver the message – all's clear."

Her hair bounced as she turned. She cast a smirk over her shoulder at him as she headed around the stage. Liara moved into his line of sight where Miranda had stood. He sighed.

"Nothing happened. I went over to Shepard's. We talked and ate. Accidently fell asleep on the couch. That's it. The admirals caught us. It looked like something else."

Lights reflected in the rounding clearness of her eyes, and her lips curved into a smile.

"I didn't know if you'd tell me."

"What do you mean? Of course, I would." He frowned, then shift against the stage. People took their seats as the roar of conversations slowly hushed. "I need to focus on this. But we should talk. Later."

Her lips curved wide, and she nodded. She brushed against his arm as she passed around him and receded into the shadows by the wall. She flicked on her Omni-Tool.

Kaidan checked the schedule on the datapad. Ambassador Ulkut for the Elcor came on stage. This was bound to be a long one. The day's end was closing in though. Tali and Wrex had made appearances on stage earlier, and the last few hours of the opening ceremonies had really dragged. But Shepard was due soon, and the day would be over. Now that he thought about it though, he'd probably need to stand by the floor for the rest of the week just to be safe. He was getting ahead of himself though. The awardees reassembling on stage for a closing recognition was going to be a hurtle. Kaidan wiped a sweaty palm on his pants and refocused on the stage.

Ambassador Ulkut was still droning on in his speech. Kaidan stared around the faces in the crowd. Behind him Liara drew in a sharp breath, and Kaidan twisted to look at her. She was already halfway to him with her Omni-Tool glowing in her face.

"Kaidan."

She put her wrist out to show him the screen. He glanced at Ulkut and did a quick scan of the crowd before focusing down on her Omni-Tool.

"A message from one of your contacts?" he asked.

"There's a lot of motion around the Normandy. It's dry docked in the hangar bay nearby."

"What?" Kaidan frowned. "Why're you watching the Normandy?"

"The Scorpion's original goal was to take it, right?"

Kaidan shifted against the edge of the stage and tapped his fingertips on the stone floor.

"All right." He stood away from the stage. "Take my spot. I'm going to check it out."

"I'll go," Liara said.

Kaidan glanced across the stage. Miranda stood beside the stage instead of Shepard. Shepard had to be getting ready to come onstage then. Neither Miranda or Liara had practiced with the stage, and the closing ceremony with all the honorees would be soon.

"Okay," Kaidan said.

Liara nodded and backed away.

"Be careful," Kaidan said.

She slid down a side aisle and disappeared through an exit. Audience applause swelled around the stage. The Elcor ambassador was actually finished. Kaidan checked the schedule again. This was moving faster than he'd thought. He checked the pistol at his side again and flexed his fingers against the cool surface of the granite floor. Time was winding down.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Backstage, Shepard walked by and forth next to the stage's entrance. She was next. She forced herself to stop pacing and leaned against the wall next to the glass emergency box – fire extinguisher, AED, biotic fire axe. The Summit committee had prepared for all the wrong disasters. What she really needed right now was to still be off stage, watching and ready.

James came up next to her. A slit of light crossed his face like a scar as he peered through the angled opening to the stage. He turned back to her.

"Where's Liara going?"

"What?" Shepard pushed in beside him. "Where?"

"She vamoosed. Looked in a hurry."

Shepard turned back from the stage light and tried her earpiece. "Kaidan?"

Nothing.

"James, give me yours."

"Sure thing, Lola." James put it into her hand. "Ain't working well. Something with that shield."

"Kaidan?"

Shepard waited for a beat. She shoved the earpiece back at James with a growl.

"Go see what's up."

"Aye, aye." James shrugged. "If it's just a bathroom break …"

"Something's up," Shepard said. "Kaidan looks worried."

James trotted away. Shepard peeked around the corner onto the stage again. Two human scientists walked over to the councilors and shook their hands one by one. The crowd applauded.

"Shepard."

Shepard whipped her head around with a frown. Aria smiled holding a glass encased plaque in one hand. The crowd of award winners were starting to assemble backstage. Alecia Mason drifted around in the back behind everyone else. Shepard's eyes moved back to Aria.

"Aria." Shepard glanced out at the stage again then turned back to her. "The Alliance and Council are sending ships to the Terminus System. I talked to some of the admirals about you and your mercs. It's a way home, and some work for once you get there."

Aria's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything.

"Well, get back to me." Shepard shrugged.

Aria put out a hand. "Consider it agreed then."

Shepard raised her eyebrows and grabbed Aria's hand.

"Let me talk to Major Alenko, but good. And congrats by the way." Shepard nodded to the plaque in Aria's other hand.

Aria's hand squeezed tight, a painful pinch, and her face soured.

"I traded a space station for a plaque. It's a proud moment."

Shepard tore her hand away and shook it. Damn. Strong grip.

"Still sore about Omega, huh?"

"Let everyone you helped throw you out on your ass."

Shepard narrowed her eyes. They were calling Shepard's name on stage. The human scientists from onstage slipped around her holding their plaques. Shepard's name boomed overhead again.

"No one screws with Aria," Aria said.

"Go, go, go." A backstage handler shooed Shepard onstage.

She stumbled out blinking into the stage lights. No one screws with Aria. No one screws with the Scorpion. The room echoed with clapping and cheers. Shapes moved dimly out beyond the lights. It sounded like people getting to their feet. The Councilors stood up from their table clapping her direction with smiles. Tevos cradled a silver medal in a glass frame – the Laurel of Apotheosis, no doubt. The salarian MC strode back to her.

"Come on," he said waving her forward.

Shepard snapped her head to the side and squinted for Kaidan. From the shadows at the edge of the stage, he peered back at her with a furrowing brow. Someone grabbed her arm. The Councilors had crossed over to her. Tevos leaned into her ear.

"What's going on, Shepard?"

Sparatus faced her and took her hand in a strong shake.

"Shepard. Something's wrong?" he said under his breath.

"Get everyone off stage," Shepard said. "Now."

Sparatus dropped her hand. Tevos swung away dropping the award. Under Shepard's feet, the floor turned blue. Shepard spun and flared a blue shield out from her hand blocking the Councilors as a wave of energy sizzled across it. The crowd erupted with screams, a cacophony of shouting, shoving, and stampeding feet. Gunshots echoed.

A bubble sparkled around Aria as she walked onstage. Lightening and blue pulses shot from her hands hitting all around. Shepard drew her pistol.

"Next to me!" she shouted at the Councilors.

Tevos and Sparatus pulled in tighter under her shield. Ilk stumbled back as burst of electricity exploded at his feet. Sparatus yanked him in closer. Aria charged them and slammed into Shepard's shield with a biotic kick. Shepard's feet slipped against the stone floor, and she flung a warp. It rippled over Aria's barrier. A shield bubble out around Aria, and she charged again driving her shield into Shepard's. Gunfire and biotic blasts sprayed off Aria's shield, and the councilors huddled in closer as Shepard pushed them back a step from Aria's onslaught. They nearly tripped over the salarian MC sprawled face-down behind them.

James barreled across the stage with his assault rifle firing. Aria flung a hand back at him, and he rolled as a electric burst hit the ground behind him. Shepard rammed her shield against Aria's, and Aria staggered back. Shepard opened a hole in her shield to press her pistol through and fired. Shots and biotic flashes were already hitting Aria's shield from the side as Kaidan and Miranda pressed their palms to the floor on either side of the stage. Flashes burst from the pistols in their other hands. Aria steadied her footing and grinned.

Screams rose in pitch from the audience behind Shepard, and she caught the movement of men bursting through auditorium doors and firing into the crowd. Mercs or Terra Firma she didn't know. C-Sec exploded through the crowd returning gunfire amid the stampede. Shots were coming from backstage too, and James swung around with his rifle amid shouts.

A static hiss crackled around the edge of the stage as the translucent field sparked with stray bullets from the auditorium. It rippled and popped, not meant for continuous fire, and with a clapping flash went out.

Aria's eyes flicked to the ceiling, and she reached out a hand, face contorting, and yanked it back as a fist. Metal tore somewhere overhead and screams rose to Shepard's left. Two massive stage lights ripped from the ceiling glowed blue suspended in the air just above the screaming crowd. Kaidan had his hand reached out toward them with a clenched grimace. Aria bellowed and reached her hand out again. Metal snapped and popped. More lights broke free, one after another dropped. The crowd wailed. Shepard threw a shaky hand out, but felt the lights already catching and lifting up. Miranda's hand strained out pointed at the audience, and she hollered at Shepard.

"I've got it!"

Shepard released the single stage light she was holding. Miranda held all four suspended in the air. The first two lights floated unsteadily in Kaidan's grip. Shepard reached out for one, but her fingers quivered and she stumbled as Aria rammed into her shield again. A tremor shivered in her bones, and Shepard locked her legs to hold Aria off. She couldn't have reached her biotic threshold yet to be fatigued.

"James! Shepard!" Kaidan hollered.

He caught Shepard's eye and tipped his head in the direction of the two suspended lights.

"Back! Back!" Shepard yelled putting an arm out and pushing the stumbling Councilors back to the edge of the stage.

James threw himself toward Kaidan and slid to his knees. He clasped Kaidan's shoulder as Kaidan swung his arm. Shepard pushed the councilors down under the bubble of her shield. The stage exploded in glass and metal. It burst against Shepard's shield and drove her to her knees as she gritted her teeth to hold it.

Miranda peeped up from the edge of the stage, palm still pressed to the stage floor, and barrier flickering over her skin from the spray of glass. James released Kaidan's shoulder, and the barrier Kaidan had extended over him fell away. Shots hit the stage from mercs in the auditorium, and Shepard bowed her shield over the Councilors to cover any side open side.

Aria lay on the floor near the fallen statue in the center of the stage. She sat up with cuts bleeding on her face, and her shield bubbled around her as Shepard fired her pistol. Aria ignored her and threw a hand out at one of the suspended lights. Miranda yelled, face pinching, and glared at Aria as the lights vibrated and broke glass onto the people below. Miranda's teeth showed as she concentrated on the lights and slowly lowered them, rattling under a tug-of-war. Three settled into the seats, and people shoved back. The last light broke free from the soft drop, and Miranda gasped. Aria's eyes shot to Shepard, and she yanked it forward with a fist. Shepard flung her hand up and knocked it aside. It exploded into the empty seats below the stage. Pieces of metal cut through Shepard's shield and one struck Tevos's shoulder. She hissed, holding it as blood seeped through her fingers. Sparatus and Ilk were alright, but wide-eyed.

"Off the stage," Shepard said and pointed to the edge of the stage.

Shepard held the shield up, legs shaking, and stood over them. Tevos hopped off the ledge still holding her shoulder. Sparatus and Ilk dropped down after her. C-sec and mercs exchanged fire, and Shepard motioned the councilors to lie flat on the floor.

"Miranda!" Shepard called.

Shepard's hand fumbled numbly at the edge of the stage as she hopped off. Her legs didn't catch her and gave out on her like rubber. Ducking from stray bullets, Tevos rushed to pull her back up and held her until her legs straightened. Shepard frowned at her tingling hands. Shepard pushed Tevos back to the floor, and frowned at her tingling hands. She slapped a palm on the floor and pushed outward with her barrier. Miranda and Kaidan's overlapping strands were too dense to weave through. Shepard caught Miranda's eye and gave a nod. Miranda's barrier released. Shepard's barrier shot out weaving through Kaidan's.

Mercs streamed onto the stage from the backstage entrances. Miranda put both hands on her pistol and shot one as he rushed her. Aria narrowed her eyes on Shepard and charged forward. James rushed in front and raised his rifle.

"Get them out!" Shepard caught Miranda's eye and dipped her head at the Councilors huddling under the edge of the stage at her feet. Miranda nodded. She skipped along the stage still firing at the mercs.

James yelled something, and Shepard's head snapped forward. Aria was nearly overhead. Shepard flashed a pulse of energy up at her. Aria's shields crackled, and she skidded back a step as James came up behind her and fired. Sparks burst from hitting the shield on her back. She swung and threw a flash of light. It hit James like an explosion. He flew across the stage and smashed into the back wall.

"James!" Shepard said.

He wasn't moving. Miranda gathered the Councilors under her own shield and hurried them down a side aisle. Aria flung energy at them. Miranda's shield flickered but held as they raced toward the doors.

"The Councilors!" Aria yelled at the mercs.

Mercs out in the auditorium's backrows turned their guns from C-Sec and the stage to Miranda. The barrier over Shepard's skin smoothed as the rifle fire shifted away. Mercs leaped off stage and tore after the Councilors as they disappeared through the exit. A merc looming over Kaidan turned to follow them. Kaidan shot him in the neck, and he fell forward in a spray of blood. Shepard turned her eyes from Kaidan and leveled her pistol at Aria. Aria grinned.

"Have you felt it yet?" Aria asked.

Shepard fired, but Aria held her shield with both hands. She advanced with a curl to her lips.

"Feeling shaky? Numb? Dizzy yet?" Aria said and pulled a needle out of her sleeve and threw it on the ground.

Shepard's eyes dropped to her shaky hands holding the gun. A crusty pinprick of blood stood out on her wrist. Shepard clutched the edge of the stage, legs tingling, and grappled to stay upright. She set her pistol against the floor and fired at Aria. Shots skidded off the barrier covering the floor at Aria's feet. The back of Aria's shield flashed with biotic attacks, but her eyes were fixed on Shepard. Shepard's pistol clattering against the floor, and she touched her earpiece.

"Miranda."

Nothing. Shepard vision swam, and she clawed at the floor as her legs buckled. Aria strolled up and kicked her in the face.

XXX

"No!" Kaidan raced along the edge of the stage trailing his hand on the floor.

Shepard's weaves through the barrier broke as her hand slipped off the stage and she fell out of sight. Aria spun on him. She was within tech-attack range now, and he raised his Omni-Tool hand and struck her barrier with frost crystals. Aria staggered back a step and threw a bolt of energy at him. It crackled along the barrier over his skin. He reaved her shield, thinning it. Aria backed away out to tech range.

"Only you and me now," she said and held up a hand.

Glass broke somewhere to the side, and an axe flew across the stage in a spray of glass shards. She snatched it out of the air.

"Is the barrier over your skin strong enough to stop a biotic axe?" She pointing the axe at his stretched-out arm touching the stage's floor.

She hefted the axe up and grinned. He tried to hit her with ice, but she was too far. He reaved her shield again. Aria reached a glowing hand out and pulled. Metal ripped behind him, and he turned as the front row of seats tore free. He stumbled sideways, hand still on floor, but it caught his leg against the stage.

Aria raised the axe overhead and charged. Kaidan tried to jerk free. He looked up as she brought down the axe. It nicked the side of Kaidan's hand as he yanked back. Aria slapped a hand to the floor with a grin, but it was still blue under palm. Her eyes widened. She followed Kaidan's eyes to something behind her. Thank God he'd seen her in time - Shepard clung to the edge of the stage, bleeding from the nose, with a palm pressed to the floor.

He didn't give Aria time to react. He slammed into her with a biotic throw, and the axe flew from her hand spinning across the floor. She fell to her knees just in front of him with her shield flickered. Kaidan pulled free from the chairs pinning his legs.

Aria's eyes burned on Shepard, and Kaidan grabbed at her feet as she stood. His fingers only brushed her heel, and he tore up onto the stage after her as she rushed at Shepard. Aria threw a warp at her. The barrier over Shepard's skin wavered.

The spray of ice from his Omni-Tool made Aria skid to a stop and round on him. An Omni-blade grazed his barrier, and he leaped back. Aria reached toward something with her hand and drew back sharply to pull it forward. He dodged as the axe clipped his arm and cracked the barrier over his skin. Aria caught it in her hand and slammed into him with a biotic kick. He stumbled back. With a burst of blue inertia, Aria hurled the axe at his face. It shattered his barrier, deflecting off the arm shielding his face, and slammed him into the floor. His head cracked on the stone, and it exploded in pain. He gasped for air as the world spun around him. A shadow fell over him, and a gun barrel filled his view. He drew in a sharp breath.

Blue light flashed, the gun barrel disappeared, and something slammed against the stage's back wall with a crack. The world floated under him, head swimming, and the tingling sensation of the barrier over the stage floor wink out. He tried to focus his eyes and pressed his palm to the floor. It turned blue again as he strained to extend his barrier out over the floor. Shepard's barrier over the stage was gone.

Aria lay in a heap at the base of a stage's backwall. She stirred. Kaidan bared down on his breath, still struggling to see straight, and pulled himself up. Keeping his palm pressed to the floor, he wobbled to his knee then toppled down again. He focused on his breathing and waited for the world to settle. The edge of the stage where Shepard had been was empty. The hall was empty now, it had to have been her to throw Aria.

Aria moaned and pushed up off the floor. Kaidan reached a hand out at her but lost his balance. He fell over still holding the barrier over the floor. Movement and voices entered the auditorium and echoed onto the stage. Kaidan squinted out at the rows of seats. Someone was coming. A group. Kaidan whipped his head to Aria, but she was gone. Garrus and Tali rushed down an aisle toward the stage. Miranda's voice was somewhere further off.

"Aria," Kaidan yelled. "She went backstage. Wounded."

Garrus clipped a quick nod and looked at Tali. They took the stage stairs two at a time and dodged around the corner to the backstage area.

"Kaidan. What happened?" Miranda called.

She rushed down an aisle up to the bloody smear on the stage's edge. Her eyes were fixed on something below though, and she ducked down out of sight. Kaidan crawled to the edge of the stage keeping his hand sliding along the floor holding the barrier. His weaves were getting wider. If Aria came back, she'd be able to find plenty of gaps to get to the floor.

He looked over the edge of the stage. Miranda hunched over Shepard with an Omni-light. She lay unmoving, blood covering her face, eyes still and closed. Breath rushed out of him. He'd rather have Aria's axe buried in his forehead than this again.

"Shepard …" he whispered.

Miranda glanced up at him.

"Is she …"

Miranda drew a needle back from the hollow of Shepard's elbow, and she stood. An empty vial rolled by her boot as she stepped over to him.

"Let me see you."

"Miranda, just tell me."

"Shepard?" Miranda glanced back at her. "She'll be fine."

Kaidan's chest loosened. He took a deep breath.

"I gave her the antidote," Miranda said. "I'm not sure how much of the poison she got, so I gave her the entire vial of binding agent. It's well over what she needs. Make her sick, but it'll work. See - her fingertips are moving."

Miranda grabbed Kaidan's face and shinned a light into his eyes.

"No protesting?" Miranda stood back. "You do have a head injury."

"I can't hold the floor much longer."

"Oh," Miranda said and put her palm on the floor.

Kaidan let it go. He dropped onto his stomach and peered over the edge of the stage at Shepard. Her eyelashes fluttered, fingers twitching. He eyes snapped open. She gasped. Miranda kept her palm on the stage, but hunched down to her.

"Slowly," Miranda said.

Shepard's voice came out grainy, and she cleared her throat. After a swallowed and looked at Miranda.

"Aria poisoned me," she said and tried to sit up on her elbows but fell back again. "I feel …"

"Give it a few minutes," Miranda said.

A sound drew Kaidan's attention, and he looked at the back of the stage.

"Miranda, James's moving."

Miranda pulled herself up onto the stage and almost stood. She frowned at her hand touching the stage.

"I'll hold it," he said.

Miranda nodded, lifted to her feet, and raced over to James. Kaidan pressed his palm to the floor and felt the strain deep inside as he pushed the barrier out. He looked down at Shepard. She gazed up at him.

"You look like hell," she said.

Kaidan grinned weakly and nodded down at her. "That broken nose suits you."

Shepard smiled bloody teeth. A commotion drew his attention to the auditorium's main entrance. Liara tore down the central aisle.

"Shepard! The nuclear warhead. It's on the Normandy."


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Shepard barreled down the hallway with both feet off the ground. Liara and Kaidan sprinted behind her. Gearing up had taken long enough. She needed to be there now.

"You're sure?" Shepard panted as they slowed.

The blast of mass effect fields, gunshots, and screaming boomed from around the corner. People ran past them to the docking bay.

Liara breathed hard. "I'm sure. Jack saw Aria on the boarding bridge up above. Jack got across before it collapsed. She comm'ed me, but I haven't heard her since. The rest of the fighting's been in the enclosed bay outside the Normandy."

"You're sure it's the nuclear warhead?" Kaidan asked.

"Tali identified it. It's in the Normandy's cargo hold. Aria's mercs are trying to offload it. She has commandoes."

"Terra Firma must have known she still planned to take the Normandy. Her surprise package wasn't much of a surprise. I saw one of her men here last night," Shepard said. "She's leaving the it here to detonate. She'll escape on the Normandy."

"Shepard," Kaidan said. "If the Normandy leaves the bay at FLT, it'll trigger the detonation."

"FTL from the bay?" Liara's eyes widened.

"The warhead's casing cracks, and the combustion process will ignite. Something like FLT, anything to really rattle it – it'll go off instantly," Kaidan said.

"Terra Firma probably planned for it to denotate in space then, when she would safely jump to FLT," Shepard said. "But if she wants to leave it to detonate, you're right. Reckless, but with a jump to FLT, the bomb detonates. And she gets out of here in a hurry."

"Tali or I need to get to the warhead," Kaidan said.

"How long to diffuse it?"

"Hard to say."

"Okay," Shepard said and peeked around the corner. A ragtag army of C-sec, Alliance, and civilian clothed fighters plugged the bay's doors. She pulled back. "Tali and Garrus are in there?"

Liara nodded. "I saw Traynor, Adams, and Grunt too."

"Kaidan, touch base with Tali. Direct that chaos in there. Don't let them offload the nuke until we've secured the ship. As long as the nuke's aboard, she's not leaving. If you get the chance though, disarm it."

"You?" Kaidan said.

"Liara and I are going to get across that collapsed loading bridge onto the Normandy. We're not getting in through the cargo bay. We need to get to the bridge. We can't let Aria leave with the Normandy."

"All right," Kaidan said. "Be careful."

He darted around the corner out of sight.

"The door to the loading bridge is a few levels up," Liara said.

"Let's go. Wait." Shepard stopped in her tracks and thought for a second. "The door to the Normandy's bridge will be sealed. We need in through the evacuation hatch. That takes a small biotic field."

She twisted on her heels and looked at Liara.

"What?" Liara said.

"You said you saw Traynor?"

XXX

"That's a long way across, Shepard."

Liara looked back at her from staring at the chasm between the docking bay's door and the Normandy. Volleys of gunfire echoed below them. Across the gap, the collapsed loading bridge hung by its corner from the Normandy's loading deck. The door to the Normandy's bridge and the evacuation hatch she needed would be right inside the loading deck.

"It's wide, but I expected as much," Shepard said. "We'll help each other across."

"Shepard, when the mercs see us from below, they'll fire. We'll be open targets. They'll be waiting for the second person across."

"Let's hope they're more concentrated on the gunfire in their faces then. Don't worry about the second person."

Liara sighed and paced back from the door.

"That's a long way to move someone, Shepard. I've never moved someone that distance. And we're so high."

"I trust you, Liara."

Shepard dug through the pack on her belt. She pulled out a coiled blue cord. She looped it around her forearm, counting, as she glanced between the Normandy and the open doorway where they were standing. She'd double it for extra measure. Nice and long.

"What's that? It's so thin."

"Made out of magan steel. Soft, flexible, but it'll hold."

"Hold?"

"For the second person. Now, that should be long enough." Shepard cut the cord with her Omni-blade and pushed the remainder back into her pack.

Shepard tied the cord coiled to the metal framing of the the door.

"All right. Send me across," Shepard said.

"Shepard …"

"I trust you. You'll do fine."

"By the Goddess," Liara muttered but put her hands out.

Shepard's skin tingled with a blue glow. Her feet lifted off the floor.

"Now just get me to the other side."

"Don't rush me," Liara said. "If I lose my focus …"

Shepard's feet skimmed over the doorway and dangled over the chasm. Armed mercs scrambled down below, dodging and firing in a sea of moving bodies. A massive blue shield was bubbled out from the Normandy's cargo bay. Aria's commandoes, no doubt. She couldn't see the bomb amid the horde pressing around the ship. She squinted and made out Javik and Grunt standing amid a cluster of C-sec uniforms.

Some of the mercs in the swirl of gunfire directly below looked up. They peeked up from their makeshift trench of ship repair parts and raised their rifles. A shot fired past her. More mercs were bumping into each other and pointing up at her.

Liara's face scrunched, forehead glistening as she focused on Shepard. She was halfway across. Shepard loosened the loop of rope around her arm. More guns were firing her direction. A bullet glanced off the armor on her hip. Another cracked the armor on her calf. She needed her biotic barrier up, but doing it now might disrupt Liara's focus and it would only make her more slippery to levitate.

"Almost there," Shepard yelled at her.

Liara could probably barely hear her over the gunfire. A bullet glanced off Shepard's hand. She cursed and clutched the coil of cord tighter in her other fist. She was becoming the prime target. A bullet struck her chest. Liara yelped, and Shepard dropped. Just an instant, and Liara caught her. Shepard's heart pounded. Broken bit of armor flaked off as Shepard clutched at her broken chest plate and hissed with pain. She swallowed it down. It hadn't penetrated.

"No. I'm okay. I'm okay," Shepard yelled. "Don't pay—Damnit!" Shepard slapped a hand over her forearm and retracted her lips with a curse. Loose coils of cord fell from her shocked hand, and she fumbled for it. She caught the cord in the middle. It dangled past her feet and bowed in a low arch between her and Liara. If she dropped now, the rope was too loose and gap too wide for her not fall all the way, clutching the rope or not. She needed it for Liara to slide over though. A hot flow slid down her fingertips as she wrapped the rope around her wrist a few times to secure it.

The blue glow of Liara's power wavered over Shepard's skin. She slipped. Just a lurch, and Liara caught her again. Shepard stomach rolled. She was almost to the Normandy's loading platform. Just a little bit more. She could almost touch it.

Pain exploded in her foot. She reached for her leg and squeezed her eyes shut with a hiss. She started to breathed and glanced over at Liara.

"Liara!" Shepard pointed behind her.

Liara spun around as a company of mercs fired their assault rifles. The glow left Shepard's skin. She fell. She clawed at the loading dock but missed. She scrapped down along something as she tumbled – the broken loading bridge dangling from the Normandy. Her hands darted out. She strained to grab something, anything. She caught a rail and slammed against the bridge as she jerked to a stop. Metal ripped up above. The bridge dropped a fraction and swung sideways with a metallic whine. Shepard held on.

"Liara!"

She'd fallen too far to see Liara from this low angle. She was still stories above the gunfire below. She panted scrambling for a foothold. Her boot caught the rail below for a second then slipped. Bullets sparked around her on the metal bridge. One punched into her back. She gritted her teeth with a hiss. Another hit her shoulder with a loud crack. Her boot finally caught traction on the lower rung. The bridge moaned and shifted under her as she adjusted her weight. She threw up her biotic barrier, checking the cord around her wrist, then clutched the rail with both hands. Bullets ripped into the metal by her face. The metal creaked and shuttered. It probably hung by a thread. She needed to work her way up to the Normandy's loading deck.

Gunfire shifted away suddenly with a swelling of yelling. Shepard twisted to look down. More c-sec officers flooded through the hangar doors and spread out in a line. They advanced carrying ballistic shield and protecting a stream of soldiers behind them lobbing grenades over the shields. Mercs leaped for cover as grenades exploded apart make-shift barriers. Behind the line of shields, engineers hunched and set up turrets. Garrus and Grunt ran along the back of the shield line in opposite directions pointing and directing.

Mercs scrambled back from the walls of shields and raining grenades. The commandoes' biotic shield around the Normandy's cargo bay pushed out further. Mercs retreated through a rippling passage opened on the side. Shepard let out a long breath and let her muscles unlock. She wouldn't have any more bullets in her back for a while then.

Shepard checked the cord looped loosely around her wrist. The rope bowed low hanging across the chasm to the docking bay door above. The other end of the rope dangled straight down. She have to watch she didn't tangle her feet in either line of the rope.

She looked up at the Normandy's loading deck. Her arm dripped blood onto the visor of her helmet as she reached up for the next rung on the railing. The bridge groaned overhead. Go up fast or slow, she wasn't sure the better approach. The bridge shifted again and swung slightly to the side. Shepard froze clutching the rail. Something metal shrieked above, and the bridge shuddered. Fast it was.

Shepard scrambled up the rails, grabbing rail after rail, and pulling her feet up to each new rail. She wasn't go fast enough. The bridge screamed and moved beneath her. She held tighter to each rail but kept moving. The loading deck loomed above. Ten more rungs. Almost there. The bridge creaked as she reached up. It broke.

She fell. She scrapped against the bridge as it came with her. Her hands clawed frantically to grab hold of something. Nothing. Nothing. It was all falling with her. Her arm caught overhead, a tightening around her wrist. She jerked her to a sharp stop by the arm. Her shoulder tore, and she bit her tongue tasting blood. The bridge scrapping against her slicing the armor down her arm as it fell away below her. It smashed in an explosion of metal to a stampede of screams.

She swung like a pendulum beside the Normandy and fiercely gripped the blue cord on her wrist. She looked up the cord to the Normandy's loading deck. The cord was caught on the edge of a metal beam on the platform. If it had caught, it would only just be holding. She still couldn't see Liara at the other door.

Shepard swung to give herself some momentum and grabbed the rope overhead with her free hand. She pendulated, waiting and testing. Nothing. It didn't slip, metal wasn't creaking or scratching. Shepard breathed between her teeth and tested her other arm. The medigel injected from her Omni-Tool wasn't going to put a dislocated shoulder into place, if that was the case. She moved her arm. It was torn, no doubt, but not dislocated. Cord still wrapped around the wrist, she reached up with her bad arm and grabbed the cord above. Hurt like hell, but doable. She climbed kicking her feet, hand over hand, panting, and sweating under her armor. The edge of the Normandy's loading deck was jut overhead. She strained and grabbed the edge. She let go of the cord and pulled herself up.

She caught her breath as she got to her feet. The cord dangled in front of her. She grabbed a fistful and looked up at the metal beam it had gotten caught on. She gave a tug. It was stuck damn good. She reached up, and her eye widened. She drew her fingers back and looked across the chasm. Through the loading dock doors, Liara was a small figure far down the hallway. Blue sparks flashed around her as she rushed at a group of mercs.

Shepard frowned and looked down below. It boiled with gunfire, grenades, and dodging bodies. They'd pushed the commandoes and their shield up the Normandy's carbo bay ramp. More mercs were regrouping behind the shield though. Shepard scanned over the soldiers. Her eyes stopped on Kaidan. He glowed blue looking up at her. He gave her a sharp nod and dropped his face raising his rifle at the mercs spilling out through the shield. He motioned at the group of soldiers at his flank and pointed at a gap in the line of shields.

Shepard tugged at the rope again and stood on her toes to see the beam. The cord was tied in a solid knot around the beam. Hell. That was almost fifty meters, and the fine manipulation to tie a knot, especially one that actually held – even up close that was a feat. Shepard stood back and shook it from her head.

She gazed across the open air at Liara's tiny form exchanging gunfire. The cord was tried across the expanse now. Liara could make it across later if she broke free.

Shepard spun around to the Normandy's airlock door to the bridge. It was sealed as expected. She slid to her knees and searched the emergency hatch a tiny energy outlet. She'd used it once before to open the hatch from this side. She was ready this time and pulled Traynor's toothbrush out of her pack. She flicked it on, and the bristles glowed. A second later, Shepard was dropping down inside the hatch.

She slipped through the passage ways in a squatted position. As she drew near the CIC, the murmuring of voices became more distinct. A low, cool voice gave orders. It had to be Aria's voice, always low and cool. Shepard smiled grimly, clutched her pistol, and shuffled further under the grated panels above. Shadows moved overhead. The ship's systems were starting to come online. Shepard shuttled forward and squinted through the grated panels overhead. It looked like at least five people.

"Just get it unloaded," Aria said. "Get all systems up. The moment it's out, we go. We can close the cargo bay hatch as we lift."

"They've got us pinned," a comm'ed voice said.

"Just unload it. They want to disarm it, they'll let you bring it out to them."

"If crossfire hits it …"

"Let them worry about that. Long as you don't open the case to disarm it, it'll hold."

"As you say."

A shadow came around the galaxy map. The tall thin form passed into Shepard's vision. Aria. One shot wouldn't kill her, and that's all Shepard would get through the grate before she dodged. Aria's barrier was damned tough. Shepard needed out from under the grate to get a full view and come at her.

"You," Aria said pointing at someone. "Go down and see it gets done."

"But …"

"Now."

Two shadows moved to the elevator and left. Aria crossed around the map to the elevator, and Shepard's fingers slid between the grates of the panel overhead. Her muscles tensed. Aria looked down at the floor next to the elevator.

"Tell me, Jack. I always thought bleeding to death would feel like falling asleep. You're looking tired."

Shepard threw the panel over and sprang up. She scrambled to her feet raising her pistol and glowed blue. Aria's head whipped up with widening eyes. Shepard's warp hit her barrier even as she dodged to the side. Shots ricocheted off the metal floor at Shepard's feet as armored mercs rushed at her. She broke the closest one's shield with a round of gunfire and threw him backward into the other man.

Aria rushed around the console getting a clear line on Shepard. Shepard threw her hand out at the same time. Their burst of energy connected and exploded between them. A blinding thunderclap threw Shepard to the floor. She staggered to her feet blinking back the white veil in her vision. The two mercs she'd thrown earlier stirred from their pileup against the wall. Shepard fired her pistol at them.

"Shepard, over here," Aria said.

Shepard spun around. Aria swayed on her feet pointing a pistol down at Jack. Jack lay face up on the floor by the elevator. Her eyelids hung hooded, and blood dripped through the grate under her head. The mercs pushed up off each other and stumbled to their feet. In the corner of Shepard's vision, she saw them rush at her. She spun with a glowing hand.

"Stop," Aria said.

The mercs skid to a stop and held their rifled up at Shepard. Shepard eyed them as her barrier glowed over her skin. She aimed her pistol at Aria.

"I thought you were asleep," Aria said to Shepard. "You always were full of surprises."

"Give this up, Aria. You're surrounded out there."

Aria gave a half smile. "Terra Firma planted a nuclear explosive on this ship. I'm leaving it for them and the Council. I want to be surrounded." She looked over at the war room. "Bring out the other one."

"What?" Shepard's eyes darted to the doorway.

A third merc came from the war room and shoved someone out onto the floor in front of Aria. Shepard keeping her pistol trailed on Aria and hand raised toward the two mercs. She moved to get a clearer view of the floor by the elevator.

"Joker?" Shepard said.

"Found him lurking on board," Aria said and took out a second pistol.

Joker's eyes rolled up to Aria. His hands were restrained behind his back, but he didn't appear to be bleeding or noticeably hurt.

"I'll kill them right now," Aria said. "That, and we keep fighting. Or you let my men put biotic cuffs on you."

Shepard's pistol wavered in her hand as she stared Aria in the eye. She glanced down at Joker. His eyes grew large and met Shepard's.

"No, Commander—"

Aria shot his leg. Joker yelled.

"Now, Shepard. The next goes in their heads. Jack's still alive."

Something moved below the grate in the corner of Shepard's vision. She kept her eyes fixed on Aria.

"Fine," Shepard said.

She dropped her pistol. It clattered at her feet and put her hands up. Joker clutched his leg, blood seeping through his fingers, and gaped at her. Aria motioned the mercs to cuff Shepard. Metal creaked under the grated floor. Shepard held Aria's eyes as a merc grabbed her wrists.

A burst of light hit Aria in the chest. She fell back a step dropping one of the pistols, and Liara pulled up out the floor. Shepard spun around and tore her wrist free. She slammed the merc across the room in a flash of blue. The biotic cuffs rattled to the floor at her feet. Shepard snatched her pistol off the floor as the other merc bard down on her. Her shot hit him in the face. A third merc slammed into Shepard from behind. She fell forward and turned on her knees. The merc fired his rifle, and Shepard sprang behind the consoles. The galactic map erupted in sparks.

Aria and Liara dodged around each other throwing biotics. Liara spun away in a glowing streak of light, but Aria snared her arm. She raised her pistol to Liara's face. Shepard slammed into her from the side. They tumbled against the wall. Aria's Omni-blade glowed, and she rammed into Shepard barrier. The barrier broke with a flash. The mercs' bullets rang around them, and Shepard ducked trying to reignite her barrier.

"Shepard, look out!" Liara yelled.

Shepard turned. Aria's foot caught her in the face. She sprawled backward. Liara jumped over her and lashed out at Aria, but Aria turned as if expecting it. She swung out at her.

Shepard staggered upright as the mercs fired at her. A bullet grazed her bicep, and she dropped her pistol with a sharp breath. She threw a warp at Aria, but she'd already knocked Liara to the floor. Aria stepped on Liara's hand and brought a blazing fist down on her forehead. It sent a shockwave through Shepard's chest as Liara's eyes rolled closed.

Shepard rushed at Aria, but Aria ducked the swing and snatched her pistol off the floor. Shepard stumbled under the swing's momentum and spun with her gun raised in both hands. Aria's pistol fired. Shepard froze.

"I just killed Jack," Aria said.

Breath leaked from Shepard's lungs, and her eyes flashed down to Jack lying at Aria's feet. Blood oozed from a maroon hole in her forehead. Aria aimed the pistol at Joker.

"No!" Shepard said and drove all her energy into a biotic throw.

It flashed over Aria's barrier, and Shepard hurtled at her firing her gun. Someone slammed into her from the side – one of the mercs. It knocked her sideways, and she stumbled. The pistol dropped from her hand. The merc stepped back from her with a needle held up in one hand.

Shepard gasped and slapped a hand over her arm where he'd pricked her. A shadow moved over her, and Aria's fist hit her face. Shepard fell on the floor. This was impossible. Even having fought beside her, this was more than she imagined, like fighting a matriarch or justicar, maybe worse.

Shepard flared and twisted against the floor to face her. Her wrists pulled back with a click. The energy across her skin cut off. A merc stood up from behind her with a tiny glowing key. Shepard twisted to see the biotic cuffs on her wrists. Aria snatched the biotic key from the merc's hand and smiled over top her.

"Did you think I was bluffing?"

Aria motioned at Jack. Shepard met her fixed, hollow stare. Blood pooled around the glassy eyes and trickled down her temples. Shepard bit back a sob with her face pressed against the floor. Strands of hair stuck to her lips, and her eyes shifted to Joker. Her dropped his eyes and hung his head. Aria tapped her pistol against her leg and glanced at Liara's breathing but still form.

"So, Commander Shepard and the Shadow Broker. Could be useful. Cuff her too." Aria caught one of the merc's eyes and motioned at Liara. Aria leveled her pistol at Joker's face. "Are you useful, Pilot?"

"Aria," Shepard said.

Aria gazed down at Joker. His chest rushed in and out as he clutched his bloody leg. The barrel hovered in front of his face. He bowed his head all the way to his chest and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Aria!" Shepard squirmed on the floor. Things were starting to become dizzy. "You investigated my crew, didn't you? Then you know Joker's the best damned pilot the Alliance has, and he knows this ship. It's a prototype warhead, and you'll be on the run. Merc pilots won't cut it, Aria."

"Trust _him_ to work for _me_? Please."

"He'll do it, Aria. He cares about Liara. He cares about me. Hell, he worked for Cerberus once. He'll deal."

Aria smirked at Shepard. "Maybe. We can sort it out later." She turned to the two mercs. "Line them up. Fasten their legs."

Aria motioned at the far wall with her pistol, and Shepard's breath loosened. Hands grabbed her from behind.

"You helped me with Omega and the Terminus System was a nice gesture, but now we're settled up."

The merc threw Shepard against the wall and fastened her ankles with another pair of biotic cuffs. The other merc threw Liara and Joker down beside her.

"Inject them all," Aria said and touched her ear.

She walked into the corner and spoke too softly for Shepard to hear. A merc pulled out a partial vial of some amber liquid and drew it up with the used needle. She injected Liara first.

"And take their Omni-Tools," Aria said over her shoulder.

"The cripple, too, with this?" the merc asked holding up the needle.

"All of them," Aria said.

Joker held Shepard's eyes as the merc jammed the needle into his arm. The merc tore off Joker's Omni-Tool and then grabbed Shephard's. He left them laying against the wall watching the rushing feet and rising tension as Aria yelled into her comm. Joker's eyes drooped and his head lolled to the side. The room had an uneven feel and her fingertips tingled. Shepard rested her head against the wall, breathing slowing, and closed her eyes.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

"Major." A marine rushed up to Kaidan reporting in.

"Distribute those." Kaidan pointed at a crate of supplied against the docking bay's wall. He motioned toward the C-Sec officers ducking behind the holographic shields.

The officer rushed off with grenades swinging in a belt pouch under his arm. More supplies poured in as Alliance officers continued to report in. The building churned like a mad house. Terra Firma troops poured in all over the building. Explosions and gunfire flashed in the hallways outside the cargo bay. Kaidan waved in another lost-looking man in civilian attire.

"Go there." Kaidan motioned to a group of riflemen covering an engineer setting up turrets. "Here." Kaidan tossed him a rifle. The man looked familiar - a second lieutenant on ground forces, Sikes or something like that.

They needed more guns and clips. It should have come in already. Kaidan twisted to Miranda standing beside him.

She lowered her pistol. "What?"

"Something's wrong," Kaidan said. "The team I sent for the weapons, they should be back."

Miranda gazed around at the soldiers crowded in the docking bay and swarming in the HQ hallway. A spray of bullets hit the wall behind them. Kaidan and Miranda ducked. Kaidan lifted his rifle and fired back. A group of commandoes slipped just outside the biotic shield protecting the Normandy's cargo bay. A grenade sailed overhead into a group of soldiers on their left.

"Behind the shields! Get down!" Kaidan yelled rushing their direction.

It exploded. Holographic shields toppled over on the men ducking behind. One of the soldier held a bleeding leg and grimacing, but the rest were unhurt. A soldier in the front jumped up and lobbed a grenade back at the commandoes.

"No!" Kaidan roared, but it was already thrown. "Everyone in front, get back!"

The grenade ricocheted off the commandoes' biotic shield and rolled back across the floor into the soldiers. The men holding the front stumble back, and Kaidan waved the shield-soldiers closer. The explosion knocked them back. Shields fell over, a man down, and two turrets on their side.

"Damnit." Kaidan searched around. "Garrus!"

Garrus stood a few meters off looking down his sniper rifle. He hunched inside a horseshoe of control panels controlling the docking bay.

"Garrus," Kaidan yelled across the gunfire and motioned to the squad struggling up from the explosion. "Show them how to use the grenades."

Garrus nodded and set his rifled back against the wall. He sprinted around the console in a crouch and rushed to the soldiers. A man in civies stood and lifted up a grenade. Garrus caught his arm. Hopefully, the soldiers would listen to a turien.

"Tali?"

"I'm here." Tali rushed up from the open door to the hallway. It flashed with gunfire behind her. "Problems, Kaidan."

"What problems?" Kaidan rushed around people to get a better view down the hall.

A row soldiers fired their rifles into a coalescing sea of Terra Firma agents pushing in on the cargo bay. They were sandwiched then. Judging by the drones and flashes of blue, the terrorists had engineers and at least one biotic.

"They think we have the Councilors," Tali said.

"What?"

"Someone was yelling it at us."

"Miranda," Kaidan said taking a few steps over to get her attention. "Lead those soldiers in the hallway. Terra Firma's coming from behind. The team that went to retrieve the weapons may be trying to get through."

Miranda dashed around him and was shooting before she cleared the hallway door on his other side.

"Will they listen to her?" Tali asked.

"She's hard to ignore." Kaidan ducked under more bullets. A grenade bounced off the wall beside him. "Go! Go!"

Kaidan staggered into Tali pushing her toward the hallway door. They tumbled around the corner. A spray of metal exploded and peppered into the floor of the doorway.

"We still can't get to the bomb?" Tali asked. "It's in the Normandy's cargo hold?"

"It's when they actually succeed in offloading it, I'll be worried."

A grinding shriek reverberated from the inside the docking bay. Kaidan's forehead pinched, and he shoved around Tali back into the fray. Sunset shined through a slit opening in the docking bay wall in front of the Normandy.

"They're opening the doors." Kaidan pushed around a soldier focused in changing his rifle clip.

Kaidan hopped over the horseshoed desk of console controls. It had to be the docking bay's controls for the gate. Kaidan reached out to search the screens, but stopped. Sparks spit out from the cracked glass under Kaidan's hands. Accidentally or intentionally, the controls were dead.

"Major." A marine rushed up. "They're bringing the warhead down the ramp."

Kaidan rushed around the marine and peered through the rows of men and rifles. The warhead, about the size of man, rolled down the Normandy's cargo bay loading ramp. Commandoes surrounded it. Their massive shield around the Normandy's cargo bay flickered but held. They pushed the shield forward down the door's ramp as they advanced. The docking bay's massive gates rumbled still grinding all the way open. The Normandy could almost fit through now. Kaidan's heart jumped into his throat.

"Tali," Kaidan said.

Tali stood in the hall doorway where he'd left her. She released a drone.

"They're opening the docking bay gates remotely from the Normandy," he said. "The bay's controls are out."

"You reverse the gate doors manually," Tali said. "The operation circuits are on the wall left of the gate."

Space in front of the Normandy by the gate was mostly clear of the fighting as it concentrated around the Normandy's cargo bay. Kaidan squinted to see the manual operator paneling beside the gate.

"I'll do it, Kaidan," Tali said. "Look! The Normandy's FTL drivers."

"What?" Kaidan's head snapped to face the ship.

The propulsion cells at the back of the ship fired with a low blue ripple. They did plan to burst out the dock the minute they offloaded that nuke. That kind of energy release would flash vaporize everything in the bay, and set off the nuke for sure. They wouldn't have time to disarm it. The ship would have to be pretty damn fast to escape the nuclear blast, but the Normandy wasn't a regular ship. Aria must believe the feat was possible. That, or she was just desperate.

"Go. I've got you." Kaidan turned to Tali and motioned at the gate.

Tali hugged the the wall as they darted through the tide of soldiers pushing forward around the Normandy. Kaidan kept at her at her heels. He threw up a biotic shield as they left the crowd of soldiers and broke into the open toward the cargo bay gate. A grenade bounced off Kaidan's shield and rolled away. He didn't even feel the explosion as they rushed forward. Bullets rippled over the bubbled shield, and two commandoes broke away from Normandy. One held up a shield to cover them as they rushed after Kaidan and Tali.

"Go! Go!" Kaidan spurred her faster.

"I am," Tali panted through her mask.

Kaidan flung a field of energy at the commandoes. It didn't faze them, just absorbed over their shield. They neared the gates, and Tali slid to a stop in front of the panel. She ripped it open and spread a hand over the circuitry. The Omni-Tool glowed on her wrist.

"Here it is," she murmured.

The Normandy's engines hummed louder. The gate doors had completely contracted and stood wide open beside them. Kaidan planted his feet next to Tali, lifted his rifle at the commandoes, and fired. The mercs skidded to a halt as it speckled their shield, and they looked back and forth between the open gate and the rising hum of the Normandy. Kaidan threw a reave at their shield, and it flickered with a sustained burst of energy. They backed up as Kaidan hit their shield again, and it collapsed. They turned on their heels and raced back toward the ship. A team of marines moved to intercept them but stumbled back in a wave of blue light as the commandoes shoved through them. The nuke might have been offloaded. The ship looked ready to leave.

"There," Tali said.

The gate doors screamed as the metal grated and rumbled into motion. They started to shuttered close.

"Can they go faster?" Kaidan turned to her.

"Of course not."

The gate was opened well beyond what was needed to fit the Normandy. Even retracting, it was so wide. The Normandy roared with energy. Mass fields flickered behind the Normandy from the brightening propulsion cells. He couldn't let that nuke be offloaded.

Kaidan charged back toward the ship and absorbed into the seas of soldiers. He danced to the side to see through the heads and shields. The cargo bay's ramp flashed with biotics and a heightening commotion. They commandoes festered at the bottom of the Normandy's cargo bay ramp fighting with biotics. Their shield had broken, and someone was driving against them. It looked like Grunt.

Kaidan pulled in closer. Grunt pushed the warhead up against the commandoes holding the cargo bay ramp. Alliance soldiers huddled around Grunt and fended off the commandoes trying to get at him with biotics. The warhead cleared the edge of the ramp as Grunt drove toward the Normandy's cargo bay. Commandoes not on the ramp by holding back the soldiers on the floor of the docking bay raised their rifles. They trailed Grunt's ascent but hesitated, looking back and forth at each other and gesturing at the bomb. A few flung biotic fields after him as drove the line of commandoes all the way back into the Normandy's cargo bay. Soldiers piled up behind him and pushed into the Normandy's cargo bay.

The docking bay gate in front of the Normandy closed with a echoing bang, and the room darkened as the sunset's light cut away. The FTL drives still flickered overhead on the Normandy. With the bomb aboard, they weren't going anywhere though. Kaidan shoved through the rows of men crowded around the ramp.

"Careful firing," Kaidan called. "Don't hit the warhead."

He clawed through to the front line. The commandoes' shieldwall reappeared in cargo bay in a sudden flash. Grunt and the other soldiers were already inside the Normandy's bay within. It made the hair stand on Kaidan's neck as the commandoes walked down the ramp pushing the shield outward. Whatever soldiers were left on the ramp reeled back from the advancing shield.

"Everyone, back!" Kaidan yelled motioning the front line to retreat.

The soldier were too packed in around the Normandy to move. The commandos stopped on the bottom of the ramp. The shield expanded out from the ship's ramp and grew brighter and brighter.

"Down!" Kaidan yelled.

The shield burst. The explosion flung Kaidan to the floor. Some men flew against the far walls. Every soldier that had been crowded around the ramp was down. Soldiers screamed pushing up off each other and shoving away debris. Some weren't getting up.

A blue form broke from the line of commandoes on the Normandy's ramp and sprinted into the docking bay. It was Aria. She ran toward the docking bay's manual gate controls and Tali. Kaidan threw off a metal shield pinning his legs and pushed up off the floor. He tore to his feet after her.

Tali turned to see Aria approaching and raised her Omni-Tool. Electrical charges streaked from her Omni-Tool at Aria, but she dodged. Tali fired her pistol. Aria slammed into her and threw her against the wall. Aria ran her hand over the gate's manual controls, searching, then drew her pistol and backed up. She fired at the panel. It exploded in sparks as Kaidan neared. She punched it with a glowing blue fist as if to finish it off, and it broke apart. Kaidan shot her in the back of the head.

Point blank, even against a barrier, was enough to kill anyone. Usually. Aria slammed forward into the wall. The wall was clean of blood as she slipped down. Kaidan's mouth opened with a furrowing frown. He aimed down at her and fired again. Her barrier flashed, but it was still holding. Impossible.

His feet came out from under him. He slammed back onto the floor as Aria drew back her leg that had tripped him. Kaidan struggled to sit and aimed his pistol at her. Aria hit him with a burst of energy, and it tore through his barrier. She raised her pistol at his face.

A boot kicked Aria's pistol out of her hand. It flew through the air as Tali kicked her in the chest. Aria caught her foot. She shoved Tali back and regained her balance. Her hand shot out. She grabbed Tali's facemask and smacked her against the wall sending pulses of energy rippled over Tali's body. Aria's pistol spun at her feet from hitting the wall. She reached a hand out. It glowed blue and flew into her grasp.

"Call off your men," Aria said glancing down at Kaidan and pressing the barrel to Tali's mask.

Kaidan stared up the barrel of his pistol at her. He pushed himself up with the other hand and stood in front of her.

"You shot me point blank," Aria said. "I'm strong. My barrier's impenetrable. That won't do anything. Call your men off, or I kill her."

"And then I'll kill you. No barrier's impenetrable."

"Last chance."

Kaidan hesitated. He lowered his pistol.

"Now call them—"

An echoing boom exploded behind them. Tali dropped from Aria's grasp, and Aria reeled into the wall. Her shield flickered. Kaidan grabbed Tali's wrist. A shield bubbled out around him, and he yanked her close. Aria flashed out and snagged Tali's other arm. Another boom echoed, and Aria fell back against the wall it. It sounded like a sniper rifle. Kaidan pulled Tali in close under the shield. Aria righted herself on her feet and slammed a storm of enegery into his shield. Kaidan stumbled back, and pressed his pistol through a slot in the shield. Aria dashed away.

Commandos fired on them as Aria broke clear. Kaidan spurred after her, but Tali wasn't coming. Kaidan stopped and glanced back. Tali held a bleeding leg and waved him on. Kaidan hesitated, glancing after Aria, and rushed back to Tali. He threw up a shield and held back the spray of bullets covering Aria's dove into the swirl of commandoes and soldiers fighting around the Normandy. In the distance, Garrus stood up from the broken bank of consoles against the wall.

The docking bay's gates squealed beside them and started to draw open. The Normandy must be opening them remotely again. The manual controls blinked under cracked paneling. They couldn't manually override the gates now.

Kaidan squinted at the Normandy with a heavy feeling in his chest. The commandoes had pushed his men and the warhead back onto the Normandy's cargo bay ramp. It was on the outside of the commando's shieldwall being driven down the ramp. It still wasn't on the cargo bay floor. At least, they had that.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

"They're closing the gate," a merc called from the Normandy's cockpit.

Aria's feet pounded past Shepard's head and up the gangway.

"How?" she snapped.

"Manual controls on the wall next to the gate. Look."

Aria's footsteps plunged back into the CIC.

"They've pushed the warhead back into the cargo hold? What's happening?" Aria asked in a cold voice touching the comm at her ear. She stood next to the elevator and surveyed the CIC. Her gaze shifted down to Shepard lying against the wall. Shepard closed her eyes. The elevator doors dinged opened. Aria's footsteps moved inside. "Push them back. I'm coming."

The elevator doors slid shut. Shepard's eyes flew open, and she surveyed the room. The mercs' voices projected down the gangway from the cockpit. Joker and Liara lay against the wall, limp with eyes closed. Shepard bumped Joker's leg. He didn't move. He was really out then. They'd been injected from the same vial, Shepard was sure. She'd only felt a passing dizziness though, maybe some numbness. The needle had definitely gone into her arm though. She'd felt it. It hadn't been long since Miranda's binding antidote, maybe an hour. Miranda said she hadn't measure it. She'd given Shepard the full vial. It must still be in her system then. Shepard shifted against the floor and looked back at the gangway.

"There she is. That quarian better run," a merc said.

The dead merc she'd killed earlier lay face up against the galaxy map's consoles. Shepard scooted across the floor and turned her back to him. She fumbled over the merc's body with her cuffed hands. No gun, no biotic cuff keys. The merc's Omni-Tool was even missing.

"Damnit," Shepard hissed under her breath.

"Damn." The merc's voice boomed from the cockpit. "She took him down."

Shepard spun her head and scanned the room. With cuffed ankles and wrists, there was no way she would take down both mercs.

"Aria's gonna kill that quarian."

Shepard's fingers strayed to the pouch on her belt. She felt around inside. She pushed aside the leftover cord. Footsteps echoed down the gangway as her fingertips brushed the bristles of the toothbrush. All a biotic cuff needed was an exacting, small mass effect field to manipulate the lock. Forget bobbypins, Traynor's toothbrush was coming in handier every moment. The footsteps were coming faster.

"Open the gates again from that terminal," a voice from the cockpit called.

"Got it."

The merc on the gangway skipped down the steps and rushed over the to the CIC's console facing the galaxy map. Shepard stood up behind her glowing blue and pulled back a fist. The biotics-fueled punch sent the merc sprawling forward over the console. His shield broke with a spray of spittle and blood over the map. Shepard snapped his neck with a flash of biotics.

Even from inside the ship, she could hear the docking bay doors squeal. Down the gangway, light widening through the cockpit's windshield as the doors opened. A silhouette stood up from the pilot's seat and turned with a rifle. She hadn't been quiet.

Shepard spun back to the CIC console and slammed down on it with a glowing fist. She didn't know how to control the gates, and she didn't have an Omni-Tool. She did all she could. She sent volts of energy popping and sparking into the console. The galactic map disappeared and the console's lights shorted out. The doors outside ground to a halt.

A bullet shattered the console's glass. One hit her arm. She rolled for cover. She lifted the dead merc's pistol from the floor and darted to the wall. A new crack widened in her armor up the left arm. Shepard almost reached for her barrier, but she'd better save her reserves. This was just one merc.

"We have a problem. Pilot's dead. We'll need the commando pilot," the merc yelled, probably into his comm.

His feet pounded down the gangway. Shepard crouched against the wall, tensed and waiting. The feet stopped.

"What?" the merc said. "You're sure? I'll protect the cockpit."

His footsteps backed up, and he ran back down the gangway to the cockpit. Shepard spun around the corner and fired. The merc dodged and stumbled against the cockpit chair. Shepard tore down the gangway firing her pistol. The merc twisted and hit a button behind him. The cockpit doors slid shut. Shepard slammed into them and clawed at the seal. She pushed the door's open button, but it flashed red.

The gangway hummed beneath her feet. Energy built in the air. Shepard spun around panting. The merc she'd just killed had to have an Omni-Tool. Shepard raced back to the CIC. A loud explosion made the ground shutter beneath her. She careened down the gangway stairs and caught herself against the CIC consoles. It hadn't been the nuke. They wouldn't still be here. The vibration through the ship died away.

She looked up at the blinking red lights above the gangway. They'd fired the damned lasers. Her finger curled around the console in a choking grip, and she cursed. It hadn't sent off the warhead, but it could have damaged it, started the combustion process. Aria was getting reckless, desperate. Shepard searched the merc for his Omni-Tool. It would have to do. She turned back to the cockpit and clutched her pistol tighter. At least he wasn't the pilot, apparently. He wouldn't be flying them out. What she needed was to find Aria.

XXX

The laser blast shook the entire docking bay. The flash blinded them in a burst of fire and energy. Lights shattered overhead and fell from the ceiling. People flew across the bay, some hit the wall. A smell of burned chemical and ash rolled over them from the scorched section of the bay in front of the Normandy.

Kaidan sat up with a shield glowing out from his hand. Sunlight streamed through the charred gap in the docking bay doors. Pieces of metal crumbled and fell away from the blackened hole in the middle. The hole's edges still glowed red from the laser fire. The doors had grinded to a stop too narrow for the Normandy to escape through. This had been Aria's counter solution – insane. The Normandy would certainly fit through now.

Kaidan pushed himself up. He and Tali had made it back to the soldiers surrounding the Normandy's cargo bay. Good thing too. Some of the men on fringe closest to the gates weren't getting up.

The commandoes lying flat on the Normandy's cargo bay ramp rolled up off their backs. The mass effect shield flickered up around them again. Aria charged down the ramp waving them up and ordering them forward. Four commandoes rushed down the cargo ramp behind her pushing the warhead. Before the blast, the Alliance soldiers had pushed the nuke all the back up the ramp. It had seemed too easy all of a sudden. Now it made sense by – Aria wanted to protect it from the laser blast. Kaidan prayed it wasn't damaged, combustion ignited and starting to build. Aria helped the commandos extend a bright shield wall as she drove them down the ramp.

Kaidan scrambled through the soldiers searching for the right faces. They crawled to their feet dazed and searching for their weapons. Some of the men just lay unmoving as Kaidan tripped around them. Paneling fell from the ceiling above exploding into the men around him. A bulkhead had taken out a whole group of soldiers by the hallway doors. The door wasn't completely occluded, but it was plenty blocked. Miranda leaned against the wall holding her side as red expanded out across her white suit. Kaidan tore his eyes away and grabbed Garrus's arm to help him stand up from the floor. Garrus rested his sniper rifle on his shoulder with a huff and gained his footing. He held his left hand at an odd angle against his chest.

"Garrus," Kaidan said. "They're bringing the warhead down. The docking bay gates are wide open. We need to get everyone out of the docking bay. Now."

Garrus blinked at Kaidan. "We need to stop Aria."

Garrus held the rifle with his good hand and lowered it from his shoulder.

"No." Kaidan pushed his rifle away and stood in front of him. "We can't hit that warhead with crossfire. The casing might already be weakened. We struggle over it too much … No. Get everyone back. Leave only the front line. Everyone else is collateral damage."

Tali stumbled up beside Kaidan, and Garrus released a long breath. He reached a hand out and steadied her.

"You … you're okay?" Garrus asked her.

"Me? I'm okay. Just my leg."

"Garrus." Kaidan edged into his line of sight. "Get everyone out. They can slip around that bulkhead into the hall. Any biotic send back to me."

Garrus nodded. He squeezed Tali's arm before backing up. He shouted and waved at the men standing up in the back rows. Soldiers behind the frontline drained back to the hallway door with Garrus's urging.

Kaidan rushed back to the Normandy. Men were already regrouped and pressing in around it. Grunt fired over the heads of the soldiers in front of him with a roar. Commandoes fired back and threw biotics.

"Grunt," Kaidan said.

Grunt glanced over at Kaidan with a grin. "Their shield's weakening."

"Your team here," Kaidan said. "Keep the Normandy's hangar door open. Whatever it takes."

Grunt laughed and turned to the soldiers around him. He drew their attention. "Shut up. Listen up."

Aria pressed the shield wall further down the ramp as she lead the commandoes with the bomb. Grunt and his men pressed forward, but Aria held them back. The warhead rolled out onto the docking bay's floor. There was no way to stop it. With Aria leading the commandoes, the shieldwall was too strong.

"Tali." Kaidan rushed through the soldier to find her. "The warhead's down the ramp. With Aria there, we're not getting it back up. I'll shield you. We need to disarm the warhead's core. If the ship jumps and the FLT propulsion fires …"

"Yes, I know."

"If we can disarm it, the FTL won't ignite it. Might start the buildup, but it won't explode on the ship jumping."

"The docking bay will vaporize." Tali stopped.

"I know." Kaidan turned to her. "That's why Garrus's pulling the men back. But if that core isn't disarmed, nothing will matter."

"We have to stop them from leaving then."

"We can't get through the commandoes' shield."

"Shepard's inside. Maybe she—"

"We need to focus on this."

Tali fell silent, then nodded. "I'm ready."

Aria retreated leaving the warhead on the docking bay floor. She streaked back to the Normandy and up the ramp with commandoes at her heels. Kaidan put an arm under Tali to support her wounded leg, and they rushed to the warhead abandoned on the docking bay floor. Grunt charged at it motioning to his men to push it back up again. Kaidan waved him off. Aria strengthening the commandoes' shield would be too much to overcome. The Normandy's carbo bay door would close, and they'll have lost time in trying to disarm it.

He was almost there. The commandoes' bullets pinged around him, and he threw up a shield as they neared the warhead. Gunfire stopped. No one wanted the warhead to go off sooner than they could escape. Kaidan eased Tali down next to the warhead. She hunched and started to work at opening the casing.

Grunt stormed up the Normandy's ramp with his men to prevent it from closing. Aria drove the shieldwall out at him to push them back.

"Kaidan," Tali said. "They scrambled the frequency on the arming sequence. This will take—"

"What can I do?" Kaidan sank next to her holding his shield up with one hand.

Tali raised her Omni-Tool. "It's a one-person job. I'm the best for it. I'll try."

Aria disappeared into the shadows of the Normandy's cargo's bay. Grunt's soldiers had managed to make it partway up the ramp, but a team of commandoes held them back.

"Kaidan." Miranda appeared through a crowd of soldiers who were falling back.

She staggered on her feet holding her side.

Kaidan stood with a deep frowned. "You're—"

"I'm fine," she said. "I'm the only other biotic. You need me."

"All right." Kaidan nodded slowly. "Take my spot with the shield. No one's targeting us, but we can't let any debris or crossfire hit the core when Tali extracts it."

Miranda grimaced, adjusting the grip on her side, and raised her other hand up. A shield flared out from her fingertips. Kaidan released his shield and fumbled through his pockets. Bandages were the only medic supplies he had on him. He pulled her resistant hand away her side. The wound was deep and bloody, but he couldn't see much through the fabric. He replaced her hand over the bandages, and she cringed as he pressed her fingers in tight. With that, he rushed down next to Tali. Even if the disarming was a one-person job, he could at least help her pull the out the core.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

The elevator doors slid open to the Normandy's cargo bay. Aria's eyes widdened. Shepard fired into her chest. Aria stumbled backward in the cargo bay. Her barrier dimmed as Shepard stepped out and firing again and again. Aria flung a hand at her, and Shepard slammed sideways into a shuttle. She pushed back to her feet still firing her pistol. The desk of consoles in front of the elevator was the closest cover, and Aria dove around them. Sparks danced up from the glass screens from the Shepard's bullets.

A commando smashed into Shepard with a glowing Omni-blade. Shepard grabbed the commando's wrist and pressed her the barrel of her pistol to the commando's temple. Blood sprayed in Shepard's face from the shot, and she shoved the commando's body away.

"Close the bay's ramp!" Aria yelled to her commandoes up by the ramp.

Aria threw a biotic pulse at Shepard and edged to the elevator. She hit the open button, and fired her pistol at Shepard. Shepard ducked and spun to her feet with her pistol out. She lowered her aim from Aria's chest. Aria flinched as the elevator's button burst into a spray of shattered glass. Shepard fired again and the light went out in the elevator. Aria growled looking over her shoulder at the dead elevator.

A bullet skipped off Shepard's hip from behind. Commandoes were firing at her from the cargo bay ramp. Shepard slipped around the shuttle for cover.

"To the ladders," Aria yelled at two of the commandoes who were rushing in from the cargo bay's ramp.

An explosion boomed through the cargo bay from somewhere on the ramp. Shepard slid around the shuttle and glimpsed Grunt through the shield wall. He held another grenade, timing it, before lobbing it at the shield. It exploded mid throw right as it connected with the shield. The commandoes staggered back a step and the explosion echoed around the bay.

Aria joined the front line of commandoes at the ramp. She slammed a wave of energy down at the encroaching soldiers, and they flew back. Grunt toppled out of sight, and Aria threw out another burst of energy to clear the ramp again. Another wave of soldiers rushed over the fallen, but Aria kept them scattered from the ramp.

Aria had to know she'd be coming through Shepard to retake the cockpit. Close the hatch, fine, but Aria wasn't getting her commandos to the bridge without a fight. Aria must have been thinking the same thing from her creased expression as she looked back at Shepard. The hangar bay's ramp whined to life. Aria directed more commandos to fall back and target Shepard. But it was what she did next that made Shepard's heart rate spike.

Aria drew one of the commandos to her side and waved up at the FTL propulsion cells outside the hangar doorway. They smolder blue a light blue, active but not charging. Shepard ducked under an attacker's Omni-blade as she saw the commando Aria had talked to rush to a panel beside the hangar doors. Her Omni-Tool lit up the corner of the bay as she bent over a panel in the floor. The FTL cells flared outside the hangar doors. Aria smiled at the commando working on the panel and gave her a nod.

Shepard biotically threw the commando attacking her with the Omni-blade and shot her in the chest. She ducked from a spray of bullets and took cover behind a crate. Half a dozen commandos were left – Aria was getting low.

She frowned back at Aria and the commando working on the panel. Cortez had said something on their way past the Sol relay and Jump Zero, when the cargo bay was packed to bursting - something about the engineers not being able to access the FTL's system panel. As the FLT cells brightened to either side of the door, flames enlarging, it hit her - the system was overloading. Shepard gaped. Aria was suicidal, either get away or everyone died with her. Aria must be afraid of being pursued up to the cockpit. She knew this would leave Shepard toying with the panel to stop the overload. The commando left the panel with a grin and came back to Aria's side. The hangar door with the ramp starting to rise, and the commandoes retreated into the bay.

Shepard broke cover and launched herself at the open panel in the floor. She wasn't good at control panels. She didn't even have her own Omni-Tool – damn, Aria! Shepard fired at Aria and the commandos as she turned course to the closing hatch door. A few shots followed her. She covered herself with a shield and shot back dropping one of them.

She strained on her toes and peered over the rising ramp door. She caught sight of Tali hunching by the nuke with her finger flying over the screen on her Omni-Tool. Miranda slumped against the warhead holding a dim, blue shield over the nuke. Kaidan was hunched next to Tali, but as if feeling something, turned and met her eye. Shepard pointed up at the FTL cells building in intensity and at the corner inside the Normandy's cargo bay. Kaidan tore to his feet and surged toward the Normandy.

Shepard held back the wave of commandoes charging into her shield. One took Shepard's bullet in the neck. She drove them back as the ramp tilted upward. Armored fingers caught the edge, glowing blue. A shadow passed overhead as Kaidan pulled himself up. He slid down the ramp and clashed to the floor. Shepard threw a pulse of energy out at the commandoes as they rushed at him.

"Up to the bridge!" Aria yelled from across the bay.

The commandoes drew back. Shepard met Kaidan's eye and flicked her hand at the open floor panel then turned and charged after them. Kaidan slid across the floor to the open panel and raised the Omni-Tool on his arm.

Aria skipped backward firing at Shepard. She paused, and she followed Kaidan with her eyes. She grinned and raised a glowing hand at the cargo bay's ceiling. Metal groaned and shifted, then it tore. Shepard turned.

"No!"

Kaidan threw up a biotic shield as metal rained down on top of him. Shepard reached out with glowing hands and caught a bulkhead. It left her open, and Aria hit her with a bolt of energy. Shepard stumbled but kept her focus and tipped the bulkhead to the side letting it slid against the moving pile of debris. Shepard dodged another flash of energy from Aria, and more metal panels tore from the ceiling and rained down on the mound of beams and siding. Shepard raced to pile of metal and skidded up against it.

"Kaidan!"

"I'm fine." Layers of metal muffled his voice. "I can hold my shield and still do this. Go."

Aria was motioning the commandoes she had left to the cargo bay's ladder. Shepard bolted toward and fired her gun. Aria dodged to the other side of the bay and looped around the shuttle. Shepard swung around to catch her the other direction, but Aria had stopped on the other side.

The building whine of the overloading FTL system died into a hum. Aria hissed from her hiding spot at the end of the shuttle. The overload had stopped. The FTL cells wouldn't flare until the pilot actually jumped the ship to FTL.

Shepard sneaked along the side of the shuttle and spun around the back corner with her gun. Aria ducked the shot. Her Omni-Tool's screen glowed as if in the middle of something, and Aria gave a smug smile. She slid around the corner for cover.

"Read about this shuttle type after your last run-in, Shepard. Quaint features."

Shepard rounded the corner. Her bullet grazed Aria's barrier, and she hit Shepard with a biotic throw. Shepard flashed her barrier just in time. She only stumbled back a few steps. Aria turned and raced to the ladder on the other side of the bay with Shepard on her heels. Aria's shield bubbled out behind her absorbed Shepard's shots. Aria panted, still holding the shield, and grabbed the ladder rungs.

"Shepard," she said over her shoulder. "You remember your Achille's heel?"

"What?" Shepard slammed into the ladder below her as Aria scurried up the rungs.

A commando stood overhead waiting for Aria and fired down at Shepard.

Aria paused on the top rung. "That shuttle's drive is charging. I keep breaking things. Take some time turning it off, I think."

Shepard's frown deepened, and her gun clicked. She threw it aside. Aria took the commando's hand and lifted herself up. Shepard started up the ladder.

"You decide, Shepard. Stop me or save your Achille's heel," Aria said and slammed the ladder's hatch shut.

Shepard froze as the words repeated in her head. She looked over her shoulder. The side of the shuttle blinked with a row of red dashes. One dash turned green. She heard Cortez's voice in her head.

 _"_ _The warm up on these types. Pretty damn easy to overload. Then it'll just take off."_

Shepard's eyes followed the path the shuttle would take. Kaidan. Her grip loosened, and she slipped. She grappled at the rungs and steadied herself. Kaidan was trapped under the mound of metal right in the shuttle's path. Even if he wasn't in the direct path, the shuttle accelerating into the bulkhead would kill anyone in the bay.

The hatch was sealed above her. All the ladders and winding passageways, climbing up floor by floor, Aria and the commandoes would reach the bridge. With her commando pilot in the cockpit, within minutes the ship would jump to FTL.

Shepard looked between the hatch overhead and the mound of metal scraps down in the bay. Her heart hammered in her chest. There was time to fight her way up Aria's trail and stop her jumping to FTL, or time to stop the shuttle and save Kaidan, not both. Her eyes lingered on the stack of metal, and she forced out a ragged breath. Shepard turned back to the ladder with a strangled sob and grabbed the next rung.

Each rung, she pulled herself across razor blades. Her joints stiffened as she reached the top. She grabbed the handle to the hatch. She paused. Chest pounding, she squeezed her eyes shut and rested her forehead against the cool of the ladder.

He was her weakness, as she'd worried all along. This was it then. She would never see him again. Losing her weakness, it's what she'd wanted by pushing him away. But staring into the reality, she knew – losing him wasn't going to make her strong all the way through, it was going to hollow her. She could see him again in her mind – glowing blue, looking up at her from the floor of the loading bay; her, steading herself on the Normandy's loading deck, blue cord in hand. Her eyes flashed open.

She dropped from the ladder and staggered as her feet hit the floor. She raced to the elevator, blood rushing. She didn't have much time. Glowing blue, she pulled the doors apart and burst inside. She threw open the top hatch with a biotic field. The elevator shaft telescoped into darkness overhead.

Shepard scrambled to the shuttle. The shuttle's back panel blinked with a cracked screen. Shepard turned on the Omni-Tool she'd taken from the merc. She wasn't a good tech even on her best days with her own Omni-Tool, but his had to work. She didn't have enough time to move the metal off Kaidan and evacuate the bay before the shuttle exploded.

Her chest pulsed as she linked with the shuttle. The program flicked up. She needed to bypass the activation keys and shut the drive down. A fourth blinking light on the side of the shuttle turned green. It was over halfway already. Shepard's fingers flew over the buttons. The screen turned red - access denied. Shepard tried again. Denied again. Another light turned green, two left. Shepard took gulping breaths through her mouth as she tried again. Denied.

"Damnit!" Shepard slammed her fist on the shuttle.

She was a bull in a china shop. If only she could solve this with her fist, not her tech skills. Her back straightened. On the side of the shuttle, the second-to-last light turned green. Shepard fell to her knees and threw off the shuttle's back panel cover. Shepard's fingers moved away from the danger icon on a red tube and over the hoses and circuitry connections. She tore out the first hose she touched. Nothing happened. The dashes still glowed overhead. She tore out another hose and another. She slammed her fists against the circuits. It didn't matter. She tore out everything. The shuttle hummed and shuddered, but the last red light was still blinking.

Shepard's fingers hovered over the danger icon. She ripped out the red tubbing. White gas burst out in plume into her face. It smelled like eezo. The shuttle's humming wound down as gas hissed out and fogged the air. The lighted dashmarks on the side of the shuttle went dark.

Shepard leaped up. She tore down the cargo bay to the imposing metal pile. She flared blue and tore at the bulkhead she'd rested down earlier. Grunting, she picked through the heavier beams and slid them aside. Her blood rushed. Aria was probably almost to the CIC. Shepard turned aside metal slabs and brushed away cluttered scrap pieces. It felt like it was taking forever. She slid off a piece of the ceiling's bulkhead. Blue shimmered in the gap between two sheets of metal beneath it. Shepard's breathing quickened, and she grabbed another bulky beam and shoved it off with a flare of blue across her skin. Debris shifted over the entire mound. Shepard stood back as it broke apart. Metal clattered to the floor. Blue welled out beneath it, pushing everything aside, and Kaidan stumbled out.

"Kaidan."

Shepard snatched his wrist as he was still gaining balance. Kaidan lurched after her in a stumble as she yanked him toward the elevator. His pace picked up, and she dropped his wrist. Pumping her arms and with both feet off the ground, she skid into the elevator.

"Shepard! What's going on?"

He toppled in behind her. Shepard ripped the blue cord out of her belt pocket and pressed it to his chest.

"Think you can do that knot-tying trick again?"

XXX

The elevator shaft brightened as Shepard reached out with a glowing hand. Keeping firm hold of the cord, she pulsed her biotic field to expand the space between the CIC's elevator doors and jimmy them apart. The doors cracked, and voiced echoed into the shaft. She couldn't make out the words. It was too soft and distant. Shepard clenched her teeth and pushed the doors apart enough to work her way through. She spilled out on her hands and knees in front of the galaxy map.

The volume rose on her right as voices mixed with a sudden click of footsteps. Aria and her two commandoes must have just come up the ladder by the war room. Shepard rolled to the side and hunkered beside the galaxy map. She held Kaidan's pistol against her shoulder and peeked over the bank of consoles. Joker and Liara still lay where Shepard had left them. Jack's body lay crumpled in the corner. Shepard bit her lip and tore her eyes away and focused on the war room's doorway. The door slid open.

"You, wait for Shepard," Aria's voice said. "Allis up to the cockpit."

"Aria, I've never flown a warship. Take off's going to be more complicated than I—"

"Just do it," Aria said coolly.

Aria came out of the war room with one of the commandoes. Shepard's eyes narrowed on the commando. She ducked back down and slipped along the galaxy map toward the gangway as the commando crossed the CIC. Aria's feet tapped further into the CIC. Her footsteps stopped by the elevator.

"Why is this—"

Shepard leapt to her feet and opened fired on the commando. The first shot drove the commando to her palms on the gangway. The next shots only shied off her barrier as it spread across her skin. Shepard rushed at her. Aria came flying around the side of the galaxy map and stopped in her way. The burst of energy between them threw them both back a step. It knocked Shepard's pistol spinning across the CIC floor. Shepard's eyes lasered on the commando behind Aria. She needed to kill the pilot, but she going to have to get through Aria.

Shepard lunged at her. They tumbled back against the gangway stairs. Shepard rolled on top of her and punched her in the face. Aria's hand fumbled for beside them. A gunshot echoed and pain exploded in Shepard's side. She crumpled, and Aria threw her over as she scrambled to her feet. Shepard checked her side. It was only a flesh wound, just skimmed her side. She grit her teeth against the pain, longing for her stolen Omni-Tool's medigel, and clawed to her knees.

Aria kicked her in the side. Shepard gave a sharp cry but rolled forward into her. Aria tumbled over top of her and hit the floor . Shepard struggled to tear Aria's pistol from her locked knuckles. They glowed blue straining against her to control it.

Something moved behind Shepard. She released the gun in time to dip low and avoid the commando's kick. She must have been the one Aria left in the war room. Shepard pulled the commando's feet out from under her. The commando slammed her head on the grated floor, and her fingers opened in shock. Shepard tore her gun away from her and shot her in the head. Two shots pointblank easily broke through her barrier.

The ship vibrated under Shepard's knees. The pilot had crawled her way up to the cockpit leaving a dribbling trail of blood. Shepard tore to her feet clutching the commando's pistol.

Aria slammed into her from behind. Shepard sprawled forward. Aria's boot ground into her back crushing her into the floor. A spent heat clip dropped by Shepard's face, and she heard the sound of Aria snapping in a new one. Shepard's fingers tightened on her pistol. She flared her barrier. Aria stumbling back, and Shepard rolled over, raised the gun … click. A dead clip.

Aria grinned. "Guess we both needed a change out. "She kicked the pistol out of Shepard's grasp, straddled her, and pressed her pistol into Shepard's forehead. "Your famous barrier skills stand up to point blank?" The barrel dug into her skin. Skin contact. Barrier. Aria pulled the trigger.

Aria roared and toppled backward in a flash of blue. Shepard's barrier wrapping Aria together with the pistol died away. The backfire must've hurt like hell. Shepard pushed up to her feet.

Aria scrambled over to the gangway stairs and threw up a flickering shieldwall. She swayed to her feet with blood dripped down her lips and off her chip. Shepard staggered back from shieldwall, feeling the biotic strain, and steadied her against the CIC's galaxy map consoles. She panted and narrowed her eyes looking through the filmy field at Aria.

"Hurry up," Aria yelled over her shoulder at the pilot.

The ship shuddered as engine systems warmed up.

"You pushed yourself too hard," Shepard said pointing at her.

"You can hardly stand."

"I'm not bleeding." Shepard touched the skin under her nose and held her clean finger out to Aria.

Aria looked back over her shoulder at the pilot. Lights lining the gangway flashed for takeoff, and Shepard's heart pulsed. She stood away from the CIC consoles. Aria turned back and met her eye.

"Chasing me up here, Shepard - how pragmatic. You took my advice."

Static crackled through the air. The ship's hum heightened, and Aria grinned at Shepard.

"I think we'll be taking this fight to the sky."

All the lights went out, and they dropped into darkness. Emergency lights flickered on as a warning bell sounded overhead. The hum of the engine died away. Shepard stepped up to Aria's shield wall. Aria cursed and swung her head to the pilot.

"What the hell was that?"

"That's my Achille's heel." Shepard smashed into Aria's shield and drove her back until it broke

"Something happened in engineering," the pilot said and stood.

"Shoot her," Aria ordered and scrambled away from Shepard.

"Don't bother," Shepard said to the commando. "Aria's lost. What do you want to happen to you?"

The commando looked down the barrel of her gun at Shepard. She chewed her lip then dropped her arms to her side. Almost to the cockpit, Aria cursed at her and turned left and ducked in next to the doors to the airlock. Shepard sighed picking up her biotic cuffs from earlier off the CIC's floor. She started down the gangway. The seal to the airlock hissed open and light spilt onto the gangway in front of the cockpit. Shepard shot forward with a groan. She slung the biotic cuffs at the pilot and spun to face open airlock doors. Aria was gone.

"Put those on," Shepard said. "Come over here. Hurry."

The commando snatched the cuffs off the floor, and Shepard fastened her to a beam on the gangway. Shepard checked them and then darted to the open door. The loading deck stood just on the other side, empty. The blue cord she'd used earlier caught her eye. It was still tied to the overhead beam, but the other side had been cut. Liara probably hadn't wanted tag-alongs. The cut cord dangled down the good length of the ship. Shepard gazed below. Aria released the end of the blue cord and landed firmly on her feet. She looked up with a wan smile and then bolted away.

Shepard grabbed the cord and leapt off. The cord wasn't long enough to reach the docking bay floor, but if Aria had done it, so could she. Shepard slid down the rope until she came to the end. The crumpled footbridge leaning against the Normandy made the landing much closer than the floor. Still, it was a drop of a few stories. Shepard clenched her jaw and let go. She hit the bridge. Her legs buckled, and she grasped at the broken railing bitting off a scream. She'd give anything for medigel's cooling numbness to cover the pain in her right leg. She slid off the crumbling remains of the bridge and dropped onto the docking bay floor. The jolt up her leg sent her falling to her knees, and she didn't hold back the roar of pain.

Shepard pushed down the pain and stumbled to her feet. Aria was halfway across the almost-empty docking bay, and Shepard lurched after her in a stumbling run. The door to the hallway flashed with gunfire and a group of soldiers were struggling to move over a beam blocking the doorway. Aria didn't turn toward them and the exit to the hallway. Shepard frowned as she veered toward three figures huddled around the warhead. Shepard pushed forward harder tripping over her leg.

Garrus's attention snapped to Aria, and he aimed his rifle at her. She dodged his shot. Miranda lifted her head. She lay slumped on the floor against the warhead holding a faded biotic shield. She staggered to her feet and putting a second hand out to hold the shield. Still working on the bomb, Tali darted a look over her shoulder and then stood. She put herself between the bomb and Aria.

Aria slammed into Miranda's shield and crumpled her to the floor. Garrus smashed the butt of his rifle into Aria shoulder. She faltered as Tali followed it with an electric current shooting from her Omni-Tool. Aria roared, and redoubled her energy. Her body burned like a blue flame, and she hammered an explosion of biotic energy into Tali. She sailed backward, but Garrus caught her around the shoulders before she hit the bomb. Aria rapid-fired her pistol breaking Garrus shield. He let Tali drop to the floor and swung his rifle at Aria. She ducked and flung him across the floor in a biotic flash. Aria leveled her pistol at the bomb.

Shepard tore Aria backward by the shoulder, and the shot fired into the wall behind the warhead. Shepard threw her to the floor next to the bomb and kicked her pistol away. Aria's eyes had a glassiness and her head lolled to the side. She was probably struggling to stay conscious from biotic fatigue. Shepard put her boot on Aria's chest and held out her empty hand. Tali stumbled to her feet, grabbing her pistol off the floor, and put it in Shepard's hand. Aria gazed at the warhead. Her droopy eyes widened. Shepard wrapped both hands around the gun and aimed. Aria met Shepard's eye and grinned. Shepard fired.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Shepard stepped away from Aria's body and threw the pistol aside.

"Check the warhead for damage." Shepard motioned to Tali.

Miranda lay flat on her back staring up at the ceiling. Shepard sank down beside her. Blood oozed between her fingers as she clutched a soppy bandage against her side.

"Anyone have medigel?" Shepard twisted to Tali and Garrus.

"No one has medigel," Garrrus said.

"Someone must." Shepard jumped up.

The Normandy's cargo bay doors groaned and stared to open.

"Status," Shepard twisted to Tali and motioned at the warhead.

Tali's Omni-light reflected over the core's glass casing. She looked up. "Still checking."

The Normandy's cargo ramp thumped as it hit the docking bay floor. Kaidan jogged down the ramp.

"Kaidan, you have medigel?" Shepard rushed to him in a limping run.

"No." His eyes dropped to her leg, and he bent reaching toward it.

"Not me." Shepard pulled back.

Kaidan's eyes moved past her to the warhead and widened on Miranda. He sprinted around Shepard and dropped to her knees beside her. She grimaced as he pulled her hand away from her side. Blood saturated the gauze, and Kaidan lifted it up and bent in closer. Rolls of gauze fell out of his pocket as he pulled out a new bandage and gestured Garrus over. He pressed Garrus's taloned hand over the bandage and held it tight looking him in the eye for a moment. Garrus nodded, and Kaidan got to his feet. The dark look on his face made Shepard's throat tightened.

"I'll check the ship for medigel," Kaidan said in a rush and dashed back to the Normandy.

Shepard squatted next to Garrus. He looked back at her with a fallen droop to his eyes and shook his head. Shepard's eyes dropped to Miranda. Miranda's pale throat moved in a swallow.

"Shepard," Miranda whispered.

"Save your strength," Shepard hushed her.

"Shepard …"

"You're not dying," Shepard said sharply.

Fingernails dug into her palms. Her eyes darted around the cargo bay searching for something that might help. Miranda's cool fingertips touched Shepard's hand, and Shepard snapped her eyes back to Miranda.

"You'll be fine," Shepard said firmly and stood.

"Shepard," Garrus murmured. "Stay with her."

Shepard moved around him and surveyed the bodies across the cargo bay. Her eyes fell on Aria's empty eyes and the gory remains of her forehead. Shepard launched herself at the body and grabbed Aria's Omni-Tool hand. That beating she'd taken, they'd both taken, Aria had to have medigel. Whether she had any left was another matter. Shepard checked Omni-Tool's medigel level. Her breath caught in her throat, and she wrenched the Omni-Tool off Aria's hand. Shepard threw herself down by Miranda and grabbed her limp hand. Shepard tore off Miranda's Omni-Tool and activated Aria's as she jammed it on her hand.

"See, Miran…"

Shepard's eyes froze on Miranda's face. Her head hung to the side, eyes closed, and face stiff and still. Shepard's heart dropped. She grabbed Miranda's shoulder and shook her.

"Miranda! Damnit."

Garrus released the pressure on Miranda's wound and caught Shepard's arm.

"Shepard, you did all—"

Miranda gasped. Her eyes opened wide.

"Miranda." Shepard pulled her arm away from Garrus and leaned over her.

Garrus released a slow breath and fumbled to put pressure back on the gauze. Miranda stared past Shepard's face up at the ceiling. Her hand lifted from the floor and prodded at the gauze under Garrus's hand.

"Let me see," Shepard said and pushed Miranda's hand down. She peeked under the bandage. "It's sealing."

Miranda took a shuddery breath. "I have scrapnel inside. It will keep-"

"Don't move. Rest." Shepard stood up. "Garrus, it's sealed. Liara and Joker are inside the Normandy. Go for help."

Jack's vacant eyes stared at her in her mind's eye. Shepard steadied her breathing. She couldn't think about that right now. Shepard stood over Tali.

"I'm going as fast as I can." Tali glanced up at her. "It's very complicated."

"I know. The fighting being kept away. We have time. I'm just keeping watch."

Shepard twisted on her heels. Aria's lips were still turned up at the corners as if smiling. Shepard's eyes narrowed on the warhead. It stood in Aria's direct sight before she'd looked up at Shepard with that grin. She sank down next to the warhead and peered at it.

"Shepard." Kaidan raced out of the Normandy.

Shepard stood. His brows furrowed and he shook his head.

"Nothing," he said.

His eyes fell on Miranda. She lay still with her eyes shut. Kaidan's mouth stiffened, and he rushed over to her.

"Kaidan." Shepard took a step after him.

He sank down covering his mouth with one hand and studied her face. He touched her hand. Miranda's eyes flew open. Kaidan tumbled backward and caught himself with a hand.

"What the hell?" he said.

"Kaidan." Shepard stood over him. "Aria had medigel in her Omni-Tool."

Kaidan pushed himself back onto his heels. "It didn't work?"

"There's shrapnel."

Kaidan checked the sealed wound and turned to Miranda's face. She looked back at him with dull eyes and didn't say anything. She probably felt like hell. Kaidan hesitated then touched her hand again. She gave a weak smile and rolled her eyes. Kaidan lips curved into a slow smile, and he stood up.

Gunfire and grenade explosions echoed from the hallway door across the docking bay. The metal beam blocking the doorway had finally been removed. Kaidan's eyes lingered on the hallway, and he turned to Shepard.

"I should—"

"Commander Shepard. Major Alenko." Commander Bailey charged through the hall doorway.

"Bailey?" Shepard's eyebrows rose.

He raced across the bay and stopped out of breath. "The Councilors. They're pinned down. Mason's there too. Hurt bad. If we don't—"

"I'll go," Kaidan said and darted around Bailey.

"Kaidan," Shepard called.

"No, Shepard." Kaidan twisted on his heels and trotted backward toward the door. "You're injured. Guard the warhead."

Shepard followed his gaze to her leg. With all the adrenaline, she'd hardly felt it.

"Be safe," she said.

Kaidan nodded, turned, and rushed out the door behind Bailey.

XXX

Garrus barreled in from the hallway with Grunt and two unknown Alliance officers in tow. Adams came out from behind Garrus as the group neared.

"Adams?"

"Heard you were down here," Adams said and looked at Tali. "Need help?"

Tali shook her head. "I'm close."

"Listen," Shepard said. "Miranda needs a med transport. We need a board to slide under her. Don't move her. Joker and Liara are in up the CIC. Got a commando cuffed up there. And, Jack's … her body's up there. Grunt, here, take this." She held Traynor's toothbrush out to him. "For Joker and Liara's biotic cuffs. Don't ask." She turned back to Miranda. "You have some more of that antidote?"

Miranda gave a limp nod and her fingers moved to her belt. She groped numbly at the zipper. Shepard moved her hand aside and pulled out a vial.

"This it?"

She held it in front of Miranda's eyes. Miranda squinted. Shepard pulled it back a bit.

"Yes," Miranda whispered, barely audible.

Shepard squeezed her fist around the vial and touched Miranda's shoulder.

"Just hold on."

"The Normandy's elevator is out," Shepard said.

She pressed the vial into Grunt's hand. Grunt and Adams rushed to the Normandy. Shepard sent the other two officers off for find something to use as a backboard. Garrus held his sniper rifle close to his chest and wandered over to the hallway door. Shepard paced. Her eyes strayed to the warhead's glass core again. She bent down beside Tali and put her face down close. Her eyes roamed over the core's clear casing and stopped dead. Her heart pounded. She pointed with a finger, careful not to touch the surface.

"What's that?" she said.

"What are you …" Tali bent down to look. Her breath hissed out. "Keelah."

"Then it is a crack. You can still disarm it, right?"

"That must have been from Aria's biotics," Tali murmured. "She wasn't trying to get to me. She was trying to—"

"Tali," Shepard snapped. "Can you still disarm it?"

The nick in the glass widened even as Shepard was watching it. The cracked lines around it grew like a slowly spun spider's web.

"What's happening?" Shepard said.

Tali stared at her Omni-Tool. "The coolant's oxidizing."

"Meaning what?"

A light glowed in the opening fissure.

Tali's mask turned to Shepard. "It's going to explode."

Shepard scrambled to her feet. "Time frame?"

"I don't know. But …"

"Soon?"

"I think so. I'm so sorry, Shepard."

"You can't disarm it?"

"Even if I disarmed it. The reaction's already started."

"The reaction had started, and you couldn't tell?" Shepard hissed.

"I was focused on trying the codes. It didn't start immediately after Aria hit it. I checked then. I didn't—"

"It doesn't matter. I'm sorry." Shepard growled. "It's not your fault."

Grunt and Adams rushed down the Normandy's cargo bay ramp. Joker flopped in Grunt's arms. He was starting to move his fingers and roll his head. Liara, though, still looked completely limp as Adams carried her out. Shepard waved Garrus over. Gathering everyone, she pointed to the crack. Tali's voice lowered to nearly a whisper as she explained.

"Can we take this out in the Normandy's shuttle?" Shepard asked.

"Lifting off on the shuttle could break that glass further, detonate it," Adams said.

"If it was in a ship then?" Shepard said. "Hitting FTL would ignite it, but what about just getting through the atmosphere to a safe FTL jumping point. Would that break the glass?"

"Shouldn't," Adams said. "Spaceship's a lot smoother a ride than a shuttle lifting off."

"Load it up," Shepard said.

"The Normandy's power looked unstable when I was in there," Adams said.

"Kaidan did something in engineering. See if you can fix it. Go now."

Adams lay Liara gently onto the floor and raced back to the Normandy.

Tali hunched closer to the warhead. "It's still cracking. Faster I think.

"We need to be careful about this," Garrus said. "After we get it aboard, Shepard and I—"

"No, Garrus," Shepard said. "You're not coming. Or you, Tali. You need to evacuate everyone. At least, the building but out of the city, if possible."

"Shepard," Garrus said stepping closer to her.

"No, no one else needs to go. Only me and …"

"Me," Joker said.

Everyone's heads turned to Joker, and he sat up higher in Grunt's arms.

"Joker," Shepard came over to him. "You know what this means?"

"I know what's happening," he said. "Need a smooth ride, a fast one to reach space? I'm the Alliance's best damned pilot for a reason."

Shepard gave him a weak smile and nodded.

"It's started the combustion phase," Tali hissed and jumped to her feet.

"Start the evacuation." Shepard pointed at her. "Go!"

"Shepard," Garrus said again.

"Let's get it loaded. We need to put the core back in the warhead's outer shell to move it."

Shepard took Joker from Grunt's arms. Garrus's mandibles flared with a short growl, but he turned away from her. He and Grunt rushed to the warhead. Tali sprinted to the hall.

"Always thought it might end like this – you, me, and the Normandy," Joker said with a heavy look in his eyes, despite the light words.

Shepard smiled wanly. "I suppose—"

"Shepard!" Adams puffed rushing down the ramp. Shepard turned to him. "It's a damned mess. Kaidan must've meant it to be. No fixing it anytime soon. She won't fly."

"Another ship?" Shepard said adjusting Joker's weight in her arms.

"The docked ships are on the other side of the building. Normandy's the only flight-worthy one in the dry docks."

"Damnit." Shepard set Joker on the floor.

"What? No," Joker said. "There's got to be something."

"We're not dragging the warhead all the way across HQ under gunfire," Shepard snapped.

Grunt and Garrus settled the core in the warhead's metal shell. The core's glass casing cracked with a sharp pop. They stumbled back. Steam hissed through a fissure in the core. A rosey glow bloomed under the glass. Shepard walked up to it. Her breath tightened under her ribs, and she rested a hand on top of the warhead feeling it against her palm. She drew in a sharp breath and spun around.

"I have an idea."

XXX

"Put it in the center," Shepard said. "Grunt, move that statue off further."

Grunt and Adams put their shoulders against Oriana's statue, tipped on its side, and edged it aside. Garrus positioned the warhead in the center of the Summit's stage floor. His eyes sharpened on Shepard as she limped to him. A static tickle rose in the air as she neared the stage's center, and her biotics buzzed deep in her bones.

The auditorium echoed with their voices. Wires sparked in the ceiling from the torn lights. Glass, broken cameras, and bodies lay between the rows of empty chairs.

Shepard pressed her palm to the warhead. Energy roared through her, and a blue veil shimmered out from her palm. It enveloped the warhead. The power buzzed in her teeth. Every nerve ending hummed as the amplified energy ragged in her chest. Her palm, waist high on warhead, burned against the metal.

"Get everyone out," Shepard looked at them. "At the very least, this building's coming down, but probably a good part of the city too."

Grunt frowned and pointed at her. "But …"

"I'll absorb as much as I can, but it won't be enough. Evacuate everyone. Go now."

Adams and Grunt rushed backstage. Garrus trudged behind them but stopped at the stage entrance. His eyes lingered on her. Shepard inclined her head.

"Bye, Garrus."

"Been an honor, Shepard."

The curtain swirled behind him, and he disappeared around the corner. Shepard faced the auditorium and pressed her palm tighter to the warhead in front of her. Something cracked deep inside, and Shepard's heart raced. She spread her fingers against the burning heat. Inside the metal shell, glass snapped and shatter. A rushing roar grew louder with each pop. It filled her ears rising louder and louder. Her heart hammered. Metal scorched into her palm.

A hand slid over hers. Glowing fingertips slipped between her knuckles and pressed onto the warhead. Her barrier deepened to a cobalt, and threads of dark energy wove through her barrier, stretching and tightening. Shepard whipped her head around as Kaidan stumbled against her drawing in ragged breaths. He met her eyes and gave a weak smile. Their biotics pulsed at the same beat under her palm. She held out her other hand, and he clasped it. Their hands squeezed together, and Shepard smiled broadly into his face. The world exploded in a concussion of fire, color, and agony. It combusted out her chest, tore her apart in a roar of blindness and heat. Every breath, every nerve, every sense burned away. Then there was only infinity.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

"And hitting the relay in five-four-three-two. Jumping."

Crowds on Palaven, Thessia, and Surkesh glowed on the screens overhead. The Sol relay flashed on the projection in the middle of the stage. The ship disappeared. Rows of chairs creaked as the audience sat forward. Silence hung over the auditorium. The audio turned to static. A voice came on.

"Council, this is Tibrus. We made it to Arcturus."

The crowd surged to their feet. Voice welled up. Cheers and applause roared from screens as planet leaders and masses of alien spectators got to their feet. The Summit Hall swarmed with handshaking and laughter. Some asari in the front row stood locked in place, silent, eyes glittering and fixed on the screen. A human diplomat next to them wiped his face with the back of his hand before returning to applause.

The Summit stage's wooden floor boars creaked under Shepard's feet. She squinted through the stage lights surveying all the faces. So much smiling and laughter, disbelief and relief, sobbing and release. Councilors Ilk and Sparatus clapped at Shepard's elbow. Tevos leaned across Sparatus.

"This is a defining moment, Shepard. We wouldn't be here without you."

Shepard smile softly. Her eyes lowered to the irregularly joined wooden planks across the stage, the stain still tacky with a chemical smell. In her mind, she saw the swing of a sledgehammer as it met the scorched granite in the center of the stage. Her eyes drifted to the front row of applauding Alliance uniforms.

"I couldn't have done it without Spectre Alenko," she said.

Shepard caught Kaidan's eyes. The corner of his mouth turned up, and he nodded at her. He stood in a line of admiral clapping and smiling. Admiral Hackett grinned up at her from below the stage.

It had been a hell of a week. It was a wonder Hackett and the other admirals were still smiling at her after her stand on the Krogan. After proposing efforts to reach out the Rachnie, she'd been sure they'd be rolling Mason onstage any moment – hospital bed, dripping IV's, and all – and tossed his surly alternate out on her face. But they probably knew she'd be saying the same thing whether from the front row or onstage sitting with the Councilors.

The Councilors lowered themselves back to their chairs. Shepard watched the split screens of celebration across the galaxy. Everyone was going home. The Summit was wrapped up now, real decisions and plans finally going into action. It was the end of an era. Shepard's eyes drifted back to Kaidan, but he wasn't look. His eyes were fixed on the relay as another ship jumped through.

XXX

A nurse watched Shepard with wide eyes as they passed in the hall. Afternoon sun streamed through the windows of the patient's room as Shepard passed the open doorways. Shepard blew a strand of hair off her sweaty forehead. Alliance uniforms weren't meant for summertime on Earth. They were meant for space. Shepard knocked on the wall next to an open doorway and went in.

"Hola, Captain."

"Staff Commander Vega."

James sat up higher in the hospital bed and chuckled. "Both got our upgrades. Just took living through another beat down, right?"

"Posthumous promotions aren't the Alliance way. Need to be present to win."

"Lots of winners on this spin," James said. "Saw General Alenko. Flight Admiral Hackett, too. A flight admiral visiting me in the hospital about a promotion - Lola, I have arrived."

Shepard smirked and stood next to his bed. Her eyes drifted to the metal table at James's elbow.

"What's this?" Shepard pinched a coin-sized metal disk off the table.

"Uh." James rubbed the back of his neck.

"An eye, right?" Shepard held it up in the sunlight to see the engraving. "Is it a charm?"

"A milagro. My abuela had one just like it. Half open eye. Ojo. Kept it in her sowing basket, would wave it at me when I was up to something."

"Abuela? That's grandmother, right? Sounds meaningful." Shepard set it back down on the table. "Where'd you get it?"

James paused. Shepard folded her arms and waited.

"Lola … fine. Becca, okay?"

"Becca, huh?"

"Yep. Knew that's what you'd say."

"You knew I'd say 'Becca, huh'?"

"Your face, Lola. That's what's saying it."

"My face?" Shepard felt at her lips. "I smile like this all the time."

James sighed, picked the milagro up, and folding it in his palm. "Should have hid it when I saw you come in."

"Hide it?" Shepard raised her eyebrows. "How telling. And, ' _Becca_ ,' now, is it?"

"She told me to call her that."

"So, uh," Shepard sat on the bed's edge, "you two … a thing?"

"A thing? Baja un cambio, Lola."

"All right. You're in the hospital, I'll be nice."

"I've done a lot of off- duty work on your Spectre missions, Lola. Got biotically ragdolled across that stage for you."

Shepard grinned. "The playing dead thing worked out for you though. Got you out of clean-up duty."

"Almost-dead really helps with playing dead."

"True. Kind of typecasting at that point."

"What about you?" James flipped the milagro in his hand. "You all up and running?"

"That makes me sound like a machine."

"Nah. Didn't mean it that way, Lola."

"Well," Shepard settled herself better on the bed, "I'm not radioactive anymore. Got all scrubbed. Nosebleeds and headaches are gone. Haven't had another seizure. So, perfect health."

"That normal for biotics?" James frowned. "Those seizures and all?"

"Seizures? No. A lot of factors with that – radiation, the floor's power amplification. Just lucky I'm not sitting it out in another coma, I guess."

"Kaidan, too, huh?"

"Kaidan too."

"He was holed up here, in the hospital, a lot longer than you."

"Yeah." Shepard studied the floor. "That was … well, he's fine now. Just needed to get broken out of the seizures. You saw him. He's good."

"Glad you both pulled through. Didn't know for a bit. The way they found you … Garrus said with all that blood and seizing, he thought you both were dead. And that nuke? Gezz, Shepard. You do the craziest crap and live."

"Holding off a nuclear holocaust? Just another day at the office."

"For you, yeah. I get rolled across the stage, and my number's up."

"A lot of numbers were up."

"Nah. Only the Council and every important person in the galaxy. No biggie, Lola."

"Right." Shepard stood up. "They going to let you out soon?"

"If not, they're gonna regret giving me a room with a window."

"I'm thinking that's only going to extend the stay. You know you're on the fourth floor, right? But, anway, I'm going to shove off." She walked to the door, paused, and turned back with a smirk. "I'll just put it out there – next Christmas, you draw Kaidan's name in the family gift exchange, I can give you ideas."

"Hilarious."

"Right? Kind of wasted on you though. Remind me next time Joker's here. I'll repeat it. But laugh like it's fresh."

"Did you hear me laughing when it actually was fresh?"

"Probably why you're still stuck in the hospital, James. Not taking the best medicine."

James pawed his hand at her with an eye roll. Shepard grinned and ducked into the hallway.

XXX

Shepard turned the hospital corner and collided into a woman.

"Sorry … oh." Shepard froze. "Liara."

Liara took a step back. "Sorry, Shepard. I wasn't paying attention, obviously."

"Corners are notorious danger zones." Shepard smiled. "What're you doing?"

"Visiting Miranda."

"Just finished seeing James. I was going to drop by Miranda next."

"She's awake," Liara said and edged around Shepard. "I'll see you—"

"Liara, wait," Shepard said. Liara turned. "I saw you at Jack's service. I've wanted to talk to you. Then, just wasn't the time."

"Talk to me about what, Shepard?" Liara edged out of the center of the hallway and stood against the wall.

Shepard shuffled sideways with her. She forced a smile and twisted her fingers.

"I'm sure you've heard some things," Shepard said.

"In my line of work, I hear a lot of things."

"About Kaidan and me."

"Oh."

"Listen, Liara." Shepard stepped closer. "It's not true. Nothing happened between Kaidan and me."

"That's not the kind of information I sell, Shepard. You don't need to set the story straight."

"What?" Shepard frowned. "What does that mean? Just listen-"

"Shepard." Liara sighed. "Kaidan already told me this."

"He did?"

"When I visited him in the hospital and a little before."

"Oh." Shepard shifted on her feet. "And you believe him?"

Liara's brow furrowed. "Is there a reason I shouldn't?"

"No," Shepard rushed to say. "I just … I didn't realize he'd already talked to you. Good. I just wanted any misunderstandings put to rest."

"No misunderstandings." Liara smiled. "I'll see you later. We should spend some time together soon."

"Absolutely."

Liara turned, and Shepard's eyes followed her down the hall. She leaned her face against the wall and closed her eyes. It felt like swallowing a boulder, but at the same time, feeling so hollow.

XXX

"Miranda." Shepard drew up a chair. "I'm making my hospital round."

Monitors blinked with moving lines over her hospital bed. Miranda's sunken eyes rolled over to Shepard's face. She smiled faintly.

"I don't know how much more visiting I can take, Shepard."

"Dagger to the heart. I just walked in."

"Sorry, Shepard. You do the talking."

"Make me do the heavy lifting, huh? Fine," Shepard said. "Liara's that taxing?"

"Not Liara," Miranda said. "Kaidan. Very chatty."

"Chatty? Kaidan?"

"Wouldn't stop."

Shepard leaned back in her chair with a thunk. "Really?"

Miranda nodded weakly. "I don't make this stuff up, Shepard."

"Triforce come out with a new triple action, high caliber rifle or something?"

Miranda chuckled. "No."

"Well, I'm curious. Let's have it. What's he so chatty about?"

"It was eclectic." Miranda smiled. "Asked me about my research. Talked about Oriana. Saw the article I was reading on applying krogan nervous system repair to mammalian models. Asked me about that. Talk, talk, talk."

"Korgan nervous system repair in mammalian models?"

"Got the impression he thought I was going to die. Back there."

"Garrus did too. He was ready to read you your last rites."

"Turien last rites?" Miranda grinned wistfully. "Should have let him."

"Anyway," Shepard sat forward on her chair, "I'm glad you're okay. Just dropping by to say that. Done."

Shepard stood.

"Shepard." Miranda looked up at her. "You heard Kaidan's going to the Terminus System?"

"That's … I had heard that."

"Just when I was starting to not dislike him."

"He should stay for that alone." Shepard leaned against the bed's metal railing.

"He should stay for you." Miranda tapped Shepard with the back of her fingers. "You're not going to see him for years. You know that?"

Shepard looked off and shrugged. "His choice, not mine. I don't have any say. That's up to the admirals and, to some degree, him."

"Shepard …" Miranda tapped her hand again, but Shepard kept her eyes on the wall. "Shepard, you've broken yourself three times. I've repaired you. Break your own heart now, and it's going to be a lot harder to repair."

Shepard grabbed Miranda's hand to keep from tapping her and folded it back to her chest. "You've spent too much time with Kaidan. You're getting sentimental on me. Whatever he said—"

"He didn't say anything," Miranda said. "That's just from me, Shepard. Take it for what it's worth."

"Well, thanks for the concern, Miranda, but my heart's not broken. I'm just fine."

"Maybe it's broken, you don't even know it."

Shepard drummed her fingers on her hips. "This is a lot of talking for someone who gave me a disclaimer when I walked in."

"You're my investment. Just trying to keep you in one piece."

Shepard moved to the door. "I'll stop by later. Get some rest."

Miranda gave her a smile and closed her eyes. Shepard wandered down the hall with a sickness rolling in her chest. Her mind spun and concentrated on the floor as she walked. The floor tiles looked asymmetrical. The blue color didn't quite match between all the tiles. They were probably different batches, but bought all together. It had to have been frustrating opening those boxes, realizing the dyes were slightly off. But they put them out anyway. Probably didn't think anyone would notice.

XXX

"Captain. Congratulations." Hackett pumped her hand.

"Flight admiral," Shepard said stopping by the Alliance logo on the wall. "It's well deserved."

"Thank you." Hackett glanced down the hall in front of Shepard. "Seeing Admiral Wilson?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. With the relay functional, there are some important assignments in mind for you and the Normandy."

"Yes?" Shepard asked.

"A lot going on with Palaven. And, the Rachni? Could be trouble. But Admiral Wilson will fill you in on details. I imagine a trip to Tuchanka may not be far off either."

Shepard nodded. "And leaving soon, you think?"

"Not right away but fairly soon, yes."

At least there was that then. Shepard was ready to get off this planet. The sooner, the better.

"Well, I won't detain you, Captain." Hackett turned.

"Admiral?"

Hackett stopped. Shepard took a step back to face him.

"You and Admiral Wilson, when you came to get me for the Summit, I hope you know, Maj—General Alenko and I … it wasn't what you may have thought."

Hackett shifted on his feet and cleared his throat. "On that, as for me, I have nothing further to say. As far as Admiral Wilson, I haven't heard it brought up again. Let him know the, uh, truth or not. It may pass over. General Alenko's demeanor though … I think Admiral Wilson took it as proof of guilt."

"Kaidan realizes he's standing next to an illegally parked shuttle, he'd look guilty. He knew what you were thinking. That's all."

"I'd call him General Alenko in front of Admiral Wilson, but I see your point. Admiral Wilson doesn't know the General well and may not understand. I have a feeling it will blow over though."

"Thanks, Admiral."

"Captain." Hackett nodded and continued down the hall.

Shepard continued to Wilson's office. The sooner she got her next assignment and got the hell out of here, the better.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

"Kate."

Kate stood up from leaning on the deck's railing. "Kaidan?"

"Hey." He closed the glass slider.

"When did you get here?"

"Just now." He walked over to her.

She threw her arms around and gave him a quick hug. "You look a hell of a lot better than at the hospital."

"I got some work done." He leaned forward on the railing next to her.

Kate snatched an open beer bottle off the railing as if afraid he'd knock it off with his hand. "You scared the crap out of Mom, you know."

Kaidan shrugged and gazed around them. "I'm surprised you're still here."

"Rob's gone back. School's out though. Thought I'd stick around for a bit. Be with Mom."

The breeze carried pine and hints of the ocean. Kaidan's eyes followed the the stepping stone below them, overgrown with clover, leading down the hill to the forest. "Where is …"

"Off with the girls." Kate motioned to the trees with her bottle. "At the pond catching who the hell knows. Now I get to spend all day trying to sneak some damned thing back to the pond before it dies."

"Maybe it'll be a fish. Sneak it to the kitchen. A lot closer."

"A fish? Son of bitch probably taste like ass coming out of that pond. Entire thing's brimming with tadpoles and mosquito larvae."

"Tadpoles?' Kaidan put more weight on the railing. "Then, you do, too, the hell know what you're getting back from the pond."

"Still holding out for a butterfly or something. A lot easier to release." Kate took a sip of beer.

Kaidan put his hand out. She groaned but gave him the bottle. He took a drink.

"So," Kate waited, and he handed it back, "Kaidan the General now, huh?"

"Yep, that's what my subordinates call me - Kaidan the General."

"But, I can still call you Ass Munch?"

"Especially around your kids, yeah."

"Ass Munch the General." She took a long drink.

"You're trying to finish that off before I get any more, aren't you?"

"What?" Kate turned and tipped the bottle back again. "This?" She took another gulp. "No."

Kaidan grabbed it before she could tip it back again and took his own swig.

Kate shook her head. "There's not enough beer in the house for the two of us."

"There wasn't enough beer in the house when there was only you." Kaidan tossed the empty bottle behind them.

Kate frowned back at the bottle as it rolled around the deck. "Mom doesn't like that."

"Mom isn't here." Kaidan smiled. "Unless you're becoming her. I can see that."

"That bottle's going to roll off the deck and break." Kate turned back to the railing. "I can still hear it. Rolling … rolling …"

"Fine." Kaidan walked over and snatched it up. He set it upright against the house.

"Better. Though I saw a fine sweat breaking out."

"Well, felt like I had Mom watching me."

"Ass Munch the General, afraid what his mother will do if he breaks a bottle on the downstairs patio."

"Hey. I know to pick my battles."

He hunched over the railing again and stared at the mountains. The ocean shimmered faintly in the distance, and he breathed in the summer air. A warm sun shined on his face. Probably the hottest day since last summer.

"Damn, Kaidan, the paint." Kate pointed at Kaidan's fingers picking at the wooden rail. "I'd shut that down, unless that's the battler you're going with …"

Kaidan lifted his fingers. "I'm saving my battle."

"Got one in mind?"

"Maybe." He shrugged. "I don't know. Probably not a battle."

"Hmm. Do tell."

Kate leaned against him with increasing weight, as if to trip him sideways. He pushed back against her.

"Damn," Kate said stumbling against the railing. "Hope the battle isn't physical. You're gonna knock me off of here."

"I didn't let the beer bottle fall off. You think I'm going to let you?"

"How the hell should I know? Maybe knocking me off is the battle you've picked. I called you Ass Munch the General one too many times. You want it to look like an accident."

"You had been drinking."

Kate laughed, slid an arm under his, and rested her head against his shoulder. "You would be saving me from the tadpoles. Probably be a dozen trips back and forth tossing the little bastards back. Thinning the herd gradually enough no one cries."

"Mom will have worked hard for those tadpoles, but I doubt she'll cry."

Kate squeezed his arm. "Why aren't you around more? I have no one to bother like you."

"Knew I had a higher purpose."

"Pawh, saving the whole damn galaxy? So second priority, Kaidan. Any bastard with a gun can do that. I only have one brother to pick on."

"Or be picked on by."

"Hell, yes. If you didn't pick back, I might feel, I don't know, guilty or something."

"Hmm." Kaidan smiled. "Maybe that's the best way to bother you then. I'll be ultra nice."

"Could be reverse psychology. I may actually want you to be ultra nice."

"Seems unlikely."

"Damn you. You know me too well."

Kaidan tilted his head and rested it against hers.

Kate shifted against him. "What's your battle?"

"What?" Kaidan said.

"The battle you're saving for Mom."

"Oh." He lifted his head. "You know the relays are functional again. Well, some of them."

"Yeah." Kate's head moved against his shoulder. Her eyes rolled up at his face. "You going off world?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Couple of days."

"A couple of days?" Kate straightened. "For how long?"

"Uh …" Kaidan stared out at the horizon. Kate's eyes weighed on him. "It will be a longer term assignment."

"Longer term … huh." Kate clicked her tongue. "You aren't looking at me."

"What?" He turned his face.

"Ah." Kate pulled her arm out from his and shoved him.

"Hey."

"Longer term? My ass, Kaidan. It's gonna be some semi-permanent gig, isn't it? That's what you're afraid to tell Mom."

"I'm not afraid."

"Yes, you are." Kate stuck a finger in his face.

Kaidan grabbed it.

"You totally are, Kaidan!"

"I'm totally not, Kate."

Kate sighed, turned, and gripped the railing with both hands. "Well … that's too bad, Kaidan."

"Your hands'll be full raising all those tadpoles anyway."

"No, seriously, Kaidan." Kate looked over at him. "I mean, the girls were just starting to really know you. Mom, now without Dad …"

"Come on, Kate. Don't try to make me feel guilty about this."

"I'm not. It's just … that's too bad, you know?"

Kaidan rested his back against the railing and folded his arms. "Yeah, I know."

"Mom's going to be upset."

"I know she will be." He gave her a half smile.

Kate sighed again, put an arm around him, and leaned back next to him on the railing.

Kaidan glanced back at the rail. "This rail gives out, we both die, that's really going to make Mom sad."

"Look at me, then look at you. Who're they gonna blame for breaking the railing? I wonder."

"Your taste for roughhousing's well known. The tissue boxes will be used up during my part of the service - everyone remembering that summer you broke the dock forcing me in the water."

"Hell. You're never going to let that go. Therapy, Kaidan. Therapy."

"Only section of my autobiography I've taken the time to write. Future generations need to know."

"Right - save the galaxy, save the post-war world, become a Spectre, become an Alliance general - but only section of the autobiography: my sister pushed me off the dock when I was ten. Lame. And," she ground a fingertip into his bicep, "there'll be a damned hell lot of tissues used up during my part of the funeral. People see the widowed husband, three little girls with quivering lips, tears like you wouldn't believe. Trust me."

Kaidan nodded, arms folded, and tapping his fingertips on his elbows. He stared at the beer bottle against the wall.

"Hey." She squeezed him in closer, her arm still around his shoulders.

He looked over. "What?"

"You okay?"

"What? No, yeah, of course."

Kate rested her head against his shoulder. "I'm not Mom. Not really. You don't need to tell me all the right answers."

"What right answers?"

"'No, yeah, of course I'm okay.'"

"You are like Mom, you won't believe me."

"You're just not very convincing. Better than last time you were here though." Kate lifted her head and peered at him. "You're better, right?"

"Kate, gezzz. I'm fine. I was just working through some things."

"Yeah, I know." Kate relaxed her head back on his shoulder. "Going through a break up. I get it."

"What?" Kaidan spun to face her. Kate snagged the rail to regain her balance. "Did Mom tell you that?"

Kate pinched her shoulders up. "That's all she said. I don't know anything else."

Kaidan covered the bottom of his face with both hands and let out a heavy breath.

"Kaidan, be real. Don't tell Mom anything you don't want everyone to know. This is not news. I didn't tell Mom I was pregnant with Em until I was in the second trimester."

"Damn." He put his hands down. "Who else knows? Hell."

"Kaidan." Kate gave his arm a pop with her fist. "Don't be so embarrassed. Mom didn't tell anyone else. I think. Might have told Henry."

"What?" Kaidan's voice shot up.

Kate smirked with a knitting brow. "Kaidan, damn." She chuckled. "I'm just joking. I'm sure she only told me. And, that's literally all she said about it."

Kaidan stood silent and stared at the wooden boards of the deck.

Kate waved a hand in front of his face. "It's okay. It's just me, Ass Munch Junior, right? I know a lot worse things about you than some break up."

"I feel dumb."

"So, you're dumb. I've been dumb. Everyone's been dumb. Way it works, right? That's okay. Don't give up or anything." She came around him and squeezed him in with her arm. "I'll be honest. Mom told me you were upset over a breakup, I was glad. No, really. It made me like … I don't know. Glad."

"Glad?"

"Yeah. Here I thought you only cared about guns and shooting things. You were a soldier and a soldier, and in your off time, a soldier. So, I was happy to hear it. Like, there's more to life than being an Alliance soldier or Spectre or whatever. There are people and families and other stuff."

Kaidan frowned. "I know that, Kate."

"Maybe kinda like you know three plus two is five, because three plus two is five. But you don't actually know how to add two and three and that that equals five."

"What?" Kaidan sputtered with scrunched his brow. "What the—Fine. I'll pretend that was really profound. I've been illuminated, and we can stop."

"Ooh. Turning nasty on me." Kate grinned. "Touching a tender point?"

She reached across with her other hand and poked his shoulder. He twisted away and pushed her finger away.

"Stop poking me all the time. You even taught it to your offspring last time I was here."

"Offspring?" Kate choked with a laugh. She took a step forward and smacked his stomach with the back of her hand. "They're called kids, you dumbass. You'd know, if you ever had any."

"Check a dictionary, Kate. 'Offspring' means 'kids.' Who's the real dumbass?"

"Still you. You're just pretending not to understand my bitching math example."

She stepped toward him. He backed up and put up a finger.

"Stop poking me."

"If the Alliance could see their general now. Mowing down enemies with an assault rifle on the battlefield. Begging his little sister to stop poking him at home. 'But, Admirals, she's even teaching her offspring to do this to me! She must be stopped.'"

"I could put you in stasis or something."

"How about taking yourself out of stasis or something?"

"I'm not in stasis, and I know how to add, Kate."

"Hey." Kate put her palms up and came up to him. "Seriously, Kaidan. I love you, you know. I just want you to be happy and stuff."

"I am happy."

"Yeah?" She wrapped her arms around him and laid her face against his chest. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you, too." He hugged her tight.

"There's more to life than shooting things or being a biotic. Just want to make that clear."

"Yeah, I teased out the punchline a while back."

Kate pulled back. "And Mom's with me on this."

"Stop talking about me. You live on Earth. Talk about the weather like normal people."

Kate rolled her eyes. Kaidan gazed out past the deck.

"Here come your tadpoles."

Kate pushed away from him and scurried to the railing. She grimaced. "Oh, no. It's taking two of them to hold that bucket."

"Not very coordinated about it." Kaidan came up beside her. "Maybe they'll spill it."

"Quick. Use your biotics. Help a sister out."

"After you poked me so many times? No way. If I use my biotics, it'll be to steady the bucket. I hope they have a hundred tadpoles. Maybe some toads."

Kate clicked her tongue then glanced sideways at him. "You staying the night?"

"Yes …"

"Hmm." Kate smiled. "Sleeping in your bed upstairs, right? Then, yes. Yes, I hope there are toads."

XXX

Kaidan paused in the marble hallway outside the door. His eyes linger on the elevator. In the corner of his eyes, the evening sun glinted off the door's platinum finish He sighed, turned back to the door, and buzzed.

"Kaidan." The door slid open.

"Hey, Liara."

Liara stepped back to let Kaidan pass. Stacks of plastic storage boxes piled the entryway. To his left, the room once full of screens, gaped emptily with blank walls.

"You're leaving," Kaidan said.

"Yes." Liara turned to face him as the apartment door slid shut. "To Thessia."

"When?"

"I haven't secured transit. Soon though." Liara passed him into the main room. "What about you?"

"Tomorrow."

"So soon."

Liara picked a box off one of the chairs and set it on the hardwood floor. The rug was already gone. All of the pictures, vases, plants, lamps, couch, desk – it was all gone. The only furniture left, two wingback chairs, cast long shadows across the room.

"I saw Shepard at the hospital," Liara said.

Kaidan nodded absently facing a glass wall and he stared at the reddening sunset. Liara drew his attention and motioned to the now-empty chair.

"Shepard was worried I was listening to Alliance gossip."

Kaidan strolled to the chair. "You probably listen to all the gossip."

"True enough." She drew the second chair closer and sat down next to him. "You're ready for tomorrow?"

"I'm packed. Saw my family. Admiral Hackett gave me a pat and a handshake. So, I guess I am."

Liara curled her legs up on the chair behind her and studied him. "Have you seen Shepard?"

Kaidan rested his head back against the chair. "No, not yet. I will. Before I leave."

"Does she know you're leaving tomorrow?"

"I don't know." He sighed. "Let's not talk about Shepard for once."

"Then, what do you want to talk about?" Liara smoothed the dress fabric on her lap.

Kaidan hunched forward. "What are your plans in Thessia?"

"Reestablishing contacts is my priority. But, it's my home. I want to see what I can do to help."

"Javik?"

"He won't miss me. As far as I know, he's staying here on Earth."

"Lucky us."

"Tell him that, and he'd believe you were serious."

"Oh, I know. Remember the holiday on our way back to Earth, everyone partying in the lounge? Broke out the canned peaches."

"Didn't it coincide with your human holiday? Christmas, right?"

"Yeah, and some quarian holiday," Kaidan said. "Javik sat next to me. The whole night he kept saying how lucky I was to be onboard with him. Something I could tell my children's children's children. Didn't seem to grasp how long humans live, either because of Vega's moonshine or just didn't care. Think it was more the latter."

"In the prothean era, it may not have been a virtue to put others before oneself, at least outside of one's own species. The protheans were imperialists."

"I suppose." Kaidan narrowed his eyes in thought. "Strange idea to think ethics aren't universal, just defined by cycle or culture. Could things like theft and murder just be vices, not wrong?"

"Maybe what's considered theft or murder is malleable. To imperialists, killing an alien, no matter the reason, may be like a human stepping on a …" She searched for the word. "What's that small … an ant. No one considers that wrong, correct? Stepping on an ant."

"So, we're just ants to Javik? Certainly fits."

"If you woke up surrounded by giant ants and went to their party, you may think they were rather lucky to have you, a human, as company. They are, after all, ants."

"True. Probably wouldn't bother to learn one ant's name over the other."

"There you go," Liara said.

Kaidan leaned back and interlaced his fingers behind his head. "That is interesting. Different way of looking at it. I'd hope, if I woke up with ants, I'd treat them cordially, show some dignity. But, maybe I would treat them as inferiors. They do eat each other, you know."

"Maybe they'd see us not eating each other as squandering resources. See our sentimentality as a weakness and evidence of being irrational."

Kaidan grinned. "Superiorly rational ants, and Liara T'Soni championing cannibalism. Giving me a lot to think about for my long trip to Orion."

"Maybe you can see Javik's side more, then."

"Well, yeah." Kaidan looked over at her. "He's the human among ants. I'm lucky to have been on the same starship and planet as him. If only I had some children's children's children to tell about it. Guess I'll have to leave a letter. Sad thing is, you could probably deliver it for me."

"To your children's children's children?"

"I have three nieces. I might need to go that route instead."

"How was your family?"

Kaidan brought his hands down from his head and interlocked them over his stomach. "My sister threatened to put a toad in my bed. Other than that, it was … what it was."

"A toad? That's animal, correct? Is there some other meaning for toad?"

"No, I mean a toad. Literally. Look one up. Trust me, you don't want one sharing your sheets."

"I've met several humans who sleep with animals in their bed."

"None of them sleep with toads." Kaidan paused. "Except for Admiral Wilson's wife. Other than that though, no one."

"Implying Admiral Wilson is a toad. I'll look this up." Liara turned on her Omni-Tool. "From context, I understand it must be an insult."

"To the toad." Kaidan sighed.

Liara's Omni-Tool brightened the room. She scrolled down her screen and paused on something. Her lips retracted, and she looked over at Kaidan. He stood and came around behind her to see over her shoulder.

"That one's a frog. Mislabeled. Toads are worse." He reached down and scrolled her screen. "There. That's a toad."

"It looks like a frog."

"No. They're different."

"How?"

"Hell, don't ask me."

"Then, they're the same?"

"Look up alligator and crocodile. They're different too. You can't tell."

"Really?" Liara punched it in. "There isn't a way to sort them? Is it geographic then?"

"No." Kaidan grinned. "They're different. You can tell. Well, someone can tell. Not me. From this conversation, not you either."

Kaidan strolled back to his chair and ploped down. Liara squinted at the pictures on her holoscreen and chewed her bottom lip. She smiled over at him.

"I'm going to miss you, Liara."

Liara snapped off her Omni-Tool. She twisted in her seat and gazed back at him. "I will miss you too, Kaidan."

"There's a lot you can do for Thessia though. I'm glad you get to go home."

"Yes." Liara looked down at her hands. "It will be years before there's any semblance of normalcy."

"It's good, you'll be there to help then."

"Is it?" Liara looked up at him.

They held each other's eyes for a moment. Kaidan looked away. He hunched forward, elbows on his knees, and folded his hands in front of him. He stared at the floor. Silence stretched between them. The only sound, the blood pulsing in his ears. He looked up at her.

"I think so," he said.

Liara's eyes fell. She gave a slow nod. Her fingers interlaced and re-laced in her lap, and she smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. Kaidan's probably didn't either though.

"Liara," he said, "I want you to know, I'm sorry about … everything. I care about you, and I never meant to …" He sighed. "I'm just sorry."

She glanced over at him. "You don't need to be sorry."

"I feel like I do." He buried his face in his hands for a moment, then drew in a long breath and looked up. "I don't know, Liara. I'm so confused." He sat upright. "But, not about you going to Thessia. That's a good thing. I'm happy for you. You can help there."

"Even for years?"

"That's …" Kaidan frowned at the floor for a long moment. Liara shifted in her seat, and he met her eyes. "I think … that's the right decision."

Liara looked away with a quick nod. Kaidan stood.

"This is good bye then?" Her eyes drifted up to his face.

"Yes."

She rose stiffly, and he stepped up to her.

"Thanks for everything. You've been there for me, Liara. That means a lot."

She nodded, eyes dropping, and gave him a fast hug. "Bye, Kaidan."

"Take care, Liara."

He hailed a skycar outside her building. It lifted back to Alliance Headquarters. Kaidan didn't look back. He'd made the right decision. He felt it in his gut, but the rest of his body felt cold. Cold and alone.

XXX

His bag sat packed on the end of his bed. Kaidan glanced around the room with a heavy feeling. The only thing that wasn't packed was his uniform for tomorrow. It lay across his bed. Kaidan touched the stiff, black fabric and ran his fingers down a line of silver buttons. So much had happened, amazing things – Spectre, general, living through so many close calls and to be still standing.

He backed away from the bed with his eyes fixed on the uniform. The sky darkened in the window, and Kaidan checked his Omni-Tool. He should just get it over with. It was already starting to get too late. He'd put it off long enough. He closed his eyes, took a breath, then turned to the door.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Fish and rising bubbles moved through the glass in front of Shepard's face. The Normandy's cabin rippled with the aquatic glow of the fish tank. Shepard's hand tightened on the plaque hanging limply at her side. As she lifted it, the watery light glimmered on the silver and glass. So gaudy.

Shepard strolled to her desk and traced a finger over the engraved wreath of bay leaves. Award for saving the galaxy. Award for using the crucible. Award for deciding the fate of every form of life. She threw it onto her desk with a thud. It teetered on the edge, and she leaned over the center of the desk on both hands. Even if the desk wasn't glass, she'd be looking right through it.

She missed the Normandy moving and alive. Out of the dry docks finally, it was just sitting here outside HQ, waiting for the next adventure around the bend. It felt so silent. No rumble of engine or FLT, no waiting for the click of the overhead comm. Just silence, except for the bubbling of the fish tank. Footsteps sounded outside her cabin door and the elevator doors slid shut. Shepard forehead creased and she turned to the door with a frown. The cabin door slid open.

"Kaidan?" Shepard stood up from the desk.

"Oh, hey." He paused in the doorway. "You are here."

"How did you know I was here?"

"Was it a secret?" He walked into the room with hands crossed under his arms. "Probably shouldn't use your real ID codes for dock access. Someone with Spectre privileges might track you."

"Uh huh."

"You weren't in your room." He leaned back on the wall by the fishtank. "That is the next logic step, right?"

"Usually I try calling or messaging, but I see the appeal of some good, old fashion stalking." Shepard rested her weight against the edge of the desk to face him. "Why'd you stop by my room?"

"To see your hamster. Wouldn't let me in after my three failed password attempts. Stranger danger, I guess." Kaidan grinned, then nodded at her. "To see you, of course."

Shepard smiled softly at him. Shadows reflected across Kaidan's face from the water.

"How you feeling?" she asked. The desk creaked as she shifted against it.

"Normal. Mostly." He held out his left palm. "Shaky, though. You?"

Shepard held her hand out flat.

"You too," Kaidan said and tucked his hand back under his arm.

"Doctors say anything about it?" Shepard asked.

"I don't think they know. It'll probably go away."

"Damn. I hope so. Ruins the mood I'm going for when holding someone at gunpoint."

"You're Captain Shepard. They'll think you're shaking in rage, not fear."

Shepard grinned. Kaidan stood straighter. He pulled a hand out from under his arm.

"I have something for you."

Shepard's eyebrows pinched. She gave a crooked smile and held out her hand.

"Shaky hands. It's a risky exchange," he said placing a weight into her palm.

He stepped back, and Shepard stared down at her palm. Her smile widened, and she looked up.

"Coasters."

"I want my area rug to brown."

Shepard ran her fingers up the stack of frosted glass, clicking apart one at a time. She chuckled.

"Area rug, huh? Damn. Why'd I go with something so big. Can't talk you into a paper towel dispenser or something?"

"My heart's set on a rug."

Shepard glanced up from under her eyebrows. "How much area we talking for this area rug?"

"Up to you."

"And brown, huh?"

"Can't go wrong with a neutral."

"Right. Wouldn't want to clash with your blank walls and empty end tables."

"Less to dust that way."

"Kaidan, I don't really see you spending your off time with a feather duster."

"Yeah, exactly. Because of the blank walls and empty end tables."

Shepard smirked and shook her head. "Kaidan …"

"Shepard …"

Shepard clutched the glass coaster in both hands and stared down at them. The coasters blurred as her vision as her eyes drifted out of focus. The smooth edge of each coasters tripped under her thumb as she brushed up and down the stack. She looked up.

"What kind of postage am I looking at to send an area rug to the Terminus System?"

Kaidan put his palm on the wall and looked down for a moment. "I'll be back."

"Right." Shepard set the coasters on the desk behind her. "You know, dusting's going to be a major chore, if you come back."

"If?" Kaidan frowned. "I'll be back."

Shepard gave a limp shrug and crossed her arms. "Okay."

Kaidan's gaze drifted around the room, and Shepard watched him, silent. His eyes flickered to hers as if feeling her observe him.

"A lot of memories," he said.

"Yeah." Shepard's throat tightened.

Kaidan settled his back against the wall and gave an exaggerated sigh. "Seems like only yesterday James and I were here, shooting the breeze, hiding out as turien Spectres tossed the ship. Yes, treasured memories."

"I thought my stuff looked disturbed."

"Blame Taccus."

"Came in, my chair was thirty degrees out of alignment with the desk."

"Grounds for a complaint, if I ever heard one."

"So, I should make Taccus a formal complaint about knocking my chair out of alignment?"

"Be justified." Kaidan shrugged.

"Include profanity?"

"Don't hold back."

"Written or verbal?"

"Both. Singing telegram."

"Follow up with revenge?"

"I know his favorite spot in the Spectre office. We'll knock his chair out of alignment forty degrees."

"Harsh."

"Thirty-eight degrees then."

"Thirty, and we prevent the spiral of retaliation."

"Good idea. One broken jaw's enough."

"Broken jaw?" Shepard's eyebrows bunched.

"Oh, yeah." Kaidan gave a small smile and shrugged. "I deserved it."

"You're serious? Taccus slugged you?" Shepard stood up from the desk.

"Why would I joke about that?" Kaidan laughed. "If I'm making up stories, I'm not going to put myself on the receiving end."

"Damn." Shepard studied him. "Suspended from the Alliance, physical altercation with another Spectre - Kaidan, you're becoming a Bad Boy."

"Ah, don't remind me." Kaidan groaned and turned sideways against the wall. He rested his temple against the wall.

Shepard strolled over to the fish tank and leaned against it to face him. His eyes followed a silver fish contorting and circling in the space between them.

"Like my new fish?" she asked.

He smiled. "Watch out. Might show them how to wash a dish."

"Eh." Shepard shrugged against the tank. "After my hamster moves in, they'll get the gossip soon enough."

"Judgmental, dangerous, _and_ a gossip? Maybe I _should_ have been going to your room to see the hamster."

"It's not free," Shepard said and tapped her chest. "Ringmaster, remember?"

"I'll put my credits where my mouth is."

"No refunds."

"Of course. Fair warning: I do send my complaints by singing telegram."

Shepard rolled her eyes. His fingers pressed to the glass, and he glanced over at her.

"You did a good job at the Summit. Being the alternate. I'm glad you change your mind."

"Not sure Sparatus or Ilk would agree, but thanks. Just happy Mason took the wheel back."

The silver fish flashed back and forth under Kaidan's fingers. Shepard rested her face against the cool glass and listened to the bubbles. She watched the fish, like a dancing flame in the water. Her eyes strayed to Kaidan's hand on the glass. She felt a soft smile pull at her lips. She glanced at him, and he was watching her.

"Where's the Laurel?" he asked.

"The Council's award?"

"Yeah."

Shepard motioned off to the side. Kaidan's eyes followed her limp wave to the desk. He lifted his head from the wall and squinted. She tapped the glass tank with a fingertip. The fish darted away.

"Shepard." He slid forward and rested his shoulders against the tank. Shepard looked up and waited. Light ripples across his face as he leaned his cheek against the glass and studied her. "Why are you unhappy about the medal?"

"I'm not unhappy." Shepard frowned. "I'm just not ecstatic or whatever everyone expects me to be."

"Why not?"

"I don't get ecstatic over anything."

"I don't know. I was there when you found that limited-edition model geth juggernaut."

Shepard rolled her eyes and tapped at the fish under the glass. Kaidan touched her arm briefly. She met his eyes.

"Why don't you like the award?" he said.

"Kaidan …" Shepard sighed and pressed the side of her face to the cool glass. She stared across the water at him.

"Why?" he said softly.

The cabin's darkness muted everything around her, except the chill of the fish tank, rippling of bubbles, and Kaidan's eyes glimmering in the pale, blue light. For an instant, she was still there – hearing the shuttle's systems whine down, scrambling to throw off metal, the mesmerizing first glimpse of blue beneath, a rushing return of breath and blood. She blinked it away, but the heaviness remained. Another minute, another choice, somewhere in another lifetime, she still stood here, but alone – decaying in darkness, staring through empty walls, longing for a heartbeat grown still. He shifted against the wall.

"What is it?" he said again.

His eyes, deep and soft, searched her face, and breath leaked out of her lungs.

"The geth," she said finally. "They're all gone, every last one, the whole galaxy. Every synthetic form of like it, EDI, all of them. Maybe even ones we never knew existed. Gone."

Shepard pulled her eyes away and listened to the slow rhythm of his breathing. He didn't say anything. Her forehead creased.

"I told you I had a choice on the Crucible. What I chose … I chose the organics, Kaidan." She looked up.

"Some decision had to be made, right? If you hadn't been there, Shepard, organics would have died too. The geth and EDI would have been lost anyway."

"That wasn't the only choice."

Kaidan frowned. Shepard folded her arms and watched the silver fish.

"I had other choices, Kaidan. The synthetics could have lived."

"The organics or the synthetics. If only one could live …"

"No." Shepard looked up sharply. "It wasn't us or them. It could have been … well, everyone could have lived. But, that's not what I chose."

The furrow between Kaidan's eyes deepened. "I don't understand."

"The Crucible talked to me. It gave me choices. It said I could control the reapers, funnel myself into some synthetic code, and watch out for life – humanity, all synthetics and organics. What the Illusive Man said, it was possible."

"Control the reapers? Become one?"

"Yes."

His eyes darkened. "Maybe the Crucible wanted you to think you could control them. Maybe they would have controlled you."

"Maybe. Or, maybe I could have rebuilt, protected. Everyone working together, alive, no genocide."

"But turn into a reaper? Even if they didn't control you … Shepard, would it even be you? Without your emotions, with your humanity stripped away, the decisions you'd mean to make may not be the same decisions you'd make as a … reaper."

"EDI felt fidelity. Maybe she couldn't feel love like we do, but there was something that drove her decisions. Decisions to help us."

"It wouldn't be you, Shepard."

"There was another choice too."

Kaidan leaned forward. "Another?"

"Synthesis, combine organics and synthetics into one life form. According to the Crucible, the pinnacle of evolution, true symbiosis, harmony."

"Like Saren."

Shepard nodded with her face against the glass.

"He didn't seem so happy in the end," Kaidan said. "He shot himself because he couldn't live like that."

"He was indoctrinated."

"Maybe with choosing that decision, we'd all be indoctrinated."

"Or maybe, if it was true, geth, humans, turiens, every lifeform would have true peace, collaboration, the best of all of us in harmony. Together."

"But you didn't choose that. You must have felt something wrong in it."

Shepard dropped her eyes and shrugged. "Like controlling the reapers, it was just the unknown. I was afraid."

"It would be risk. Gamble the galaxy on a big win and end up losing everything," Kaidan said.

"No form of life lost."

"Shepard, I don't want to be part machine. The geth, they probably wouldn't have wanted to be part organic. We needed to survive the reapers as ourselves, not save some version of ourselves, some version not even really be us anymore."

"Even if it really was perfection?"

"Life's never been perfect." Kaidan studied her face. "Maybe it isn't meant to be."

Shepard moved away from the fish tank. The Laurel of Apotheosis gleamed in the light from the edge of her desk. Apotheosis, ascension to near divinity, a reward for playing God. She rounded her desk chair. She faced him and gripped the back.

"You could be right about the choices. But in the end, I'm no different than the Illusive Man. Humanity first. To not risk us, humanity, I chose to kill them."

Kaidan drifted over to her and stopped by the desk.

"What if it had been reversed then? What if by destroying the reapers, you knew humanity would be lost instead of the synthetics?"

"Would I choose a different option?"

Kaidan nodded. Shepard's fingers dug into the chair's plastic.

"I don't know," she said.

The silver and glass plaque caught her eye again. She circled the chair and sank down slowly. The plaque's wreath of evergreens, it symbolized honor and victory. This wasn't a victory for the victorious, it was a victory won by sacrifice. Her eyes cut back to Kaidan.

"I still would have destroyed them."

"Then, there's you answer." Kaidan sank down by her legs and put a hand over hers. "You made the right choice. You did what the Council asked – destroyed the reapers. Weighing options and risk, losing one to save many – that's the sort of logic, the geth used. You saved us. I think the geth would have understood that decision."

Shepard slipped a hand out from under his and rested it on top. He gazed back at her with a warmth playing in his smile. The softness on his face and touch of his hands made her chest clench. The depth in his eyes made her throat go dry, and his hands tightened on hers. Then he pulled away and stood.

"I probably should head out."

Shepard swallowed against the stickiness in her throat. "When do you …"

"Tomorrow."

"Oh." Shepard gave a slow nod that sharpened. "Right."

"You're leaving, too, though."

"Uh, yeah. Rachni activity's increasing around Palaven. Time to get it straightened out."

"An important task," Kaidan said.

"And so's stabilizing the Terminus System." Shepard stood. "I thought they may change their plans for you after your promotion."

"We have over thirty ships committed now, not just Alliance. Someone has to make the decisions."

"You're heading it? Not just the Alliance, all of it?"

Kaidan nodded.

"General Alenko," Shepard said.

"Hackett should be proud." Kaidan gave a weak smile. "He wanted big things for us."

"On our way, I guess." Shepard forced a smile in return. "If we can sort out all this Rachni trouble, I'll going to Thessia, eventually. The asari have agreed to help the Council and Alliance in restoring the citadel."

Kaidan gazed at the fish tank and gave a delayed nod. "That's good." He looked back to her. "Touch base with Liara. She's recruiting her contacts there. If politics get in the way, she can help you."

"Well, it's Palaven first. The citadel isn't priority. Thessia's still a year or more out."

Shepard concentrated on picking at a nick along the edge of the desk.

"I know," Kaidan said. "But you should connect with her, if the time comes. It's your decisions though. We'll see what barriers you run into. With the citadel orbiting Earth, the popularity of it being the seat of galactic power … Can't imagine it won't have its opponents. Liara can help."

"Liara will be on Thessia?" Shepard folded her arms and looked up. "Even a year, two years from now? On Thessia?"

"As far as I know."

"As far as you know?"

"Yeah." Kaidan clutched his elbows and dropped his eyes to the floor. After a moment, he shifted. "I think it's for the best." He looked up. "Returning to Thessia. What's right."

Shepard held his eyes then nodded slowly. "All right. I'll connect with her then. Maybe you're right about the politics."

"Well, I should probably …" Kaidan glanced at the cabin door.

"Thanks for the coasters." Shepard ran her fingers over the stack sitting on the desk.

Kaidan took steps backward and grinned. "Better use them, or they'll be hell to dust."

"I better start drinking four beers at once then."

Kaidan paused a few steps from the door with a chuckle. He opened his mouth then stopped as if considering what to say in response. Finally, he shrugged with a grin.

"I look forward to the late-night calls then."

Shepard pulled mouth to the side. "After slamming down four beers? I'll be button mashing. You saw me hailing a cab."

He gave her a gentle smile. "Am I under 'K' or 'A?'" He pushed the button for the door. "Put me under 'A.'"

Shepard returned a strained smile and her pulse quickened.

"Take care, Shepard."

The door opened, and he turned away.

"Kaidan. Wait."

She took four long strides and knocked into him, coiling her arms around his chest. The impact staggered him back. He steadied and wrapped his arms around her. It made her heart slow. She closed her eyes, face rising and falling against his chest, his heart beating in her ear. The comm buoy was a year out from being restored, at least. The mass relay would take years. Unless he relayed a message to her through the Council, this was the last they'd talk for a long time. Even longer to feel him this way again.

A hand smoothed her hair, and a weight settled on top of her head. Each breath from his chest stirred the strands above her forehead. It had been a long time since she'd been held like this by him. She thought she'd exaggerated how good it felt, but she hadn't. Her scalp bloomed in warmth as he turned his face turned into her hair, and his arms squeezed her in tighter. His aftershave and a soapy scent filled her lungs. He smelled as he always had. His heartbeat, his breathing, his smell, his arms tight and warm around her – it was the same. Her teeth bit into her bottom lip, and she jerked back.

"You all right?" he asked as she pulled away.

Shepard gave a firm nod keeping her eyes on the floor and turned away.

"Bye, Kaidan."

She went to the desk, keeping her back to him, and pinched her eyes shut as a tickle went down her cheek. The metal floor behind her creaked with Kaidan shifting his weight. Her eyes snapped open, and she fumbled at the desk for one of her datapads. She clutched it tightly, steadying her breath, and switched it on. Kaidan's feet turned slowly, the cabin door slid open again, and his footsteps echoed away. Shepard tilted her head to the side enough to catch the edge of the door close.

She dropped the datapad rattling on the desk and braced herself over it. She squeezed her eyes so tight they hurt and drew in a gasping breath. When the breath left her, it shuddered her whole body. She opened blurry eyes. The Laurel stared at her from the corner of her cloudy vision, and she pulled it to sit below her face. A droplet fell on the glass as her finger traced the wreath of leaves. She set her medal upright on the desk next to the Star of Terra and backed up. It lingered in her eyes, even as she wiped her face, and turned away. She needed to get out of this cabin.

XXX

The galaxy map glittered in the center of the Normandy's CIC. Shepard hunched over the railing focused more on her breathing than the stars in front of her. She should go somewhere, a club or a bar, meet Garrus and Tali. Maybe Wrex was free or Grunt. Cortez stayed up late. She'd take anyone. Shepard checked the time on her Omni-Tool. The bars were probably winding down.

She slid her hand along the railing and stepped down into the CIC. She shuffled to the gangway. A dark Vancouver horizon opened in front of her as she neared the cockpit. Light from HQ's docking gate drowned out the stars overhead. The moon hung low, edged in a golden glow, sinking below the building. Shepard's eyes strayed to the terminal's long bay of windows. Her heart caught in her throat. A distant figure, arms crossed, a shadow in the low night lighting, gazed out at the Normandy. Kaidan. He backed up and turned away. Shepard pressed closer to the edge of the cockpit's window. Her breath fogged her vision through the glass. She froze watching his outline fade into the dim hallway.

Shepard stumbled back and clenched the arm of the pilot's seat. She lowered herself onto it with a thud. Shakily, she combed fingers into her hair and bowed her head with a hitching breath. The Vancouver bars may be winding down, but one somewhere would be open. She didn't need to wake anyone up. She could go by herself.

"Captain?"

Shepard bolted straight in the seat and whipped her head around. Joker swayed on his crutches watching her from the gangway. Shepard blinked rapidly to clear the blurriness and pushed to her feet.

She steadied her voice. "Joker. What're you doing here?"

"I'm always here. What are you doing here? And in my chair."

Shepard glanced down at the pilot's seat and stepped away. Her boot clicked on something against the floor. She focused back at Joker.

"You keep sneaking on here, Joker, I'm letting the next hostage-taker keep you."

"Yeah, that all sucked." He readjusted his weight on the crutches. "Saw Kaidan out there."

"Yeah?" Shepard said.

Joker continued to the pilot's seat. Shepard moved to the side to avoid his crutch as he passed. She turned around.

"See you later, Jok—"

"Hey, Captain." Joker lowered himself into the chair. He leaned his crutches against the middle console. "You seen the new navigation holofield they put in up here?"

"No." Shepard gazed absently around the gangway.

Joker spun to the cockpit windows and punched up a screen. Shepard stood over his shoulder as he scrolled through a list of commands. In the reflection, he looked preoccupied. Shepard swiped her sleeve across her face and smoothed her breathing.

"Here." Joker punched a button.

A field of star systems and planets spun out in front of him. The Milkway glowed across the cockpit overlaying the real stars beyond the window. Shepard forced a shaky smile at his reflection.

"Rad, huh? Pretty sweet upgrade, right?"

"Yeah. Pretty sweet."

"Wish I'd had it back when EDI was here. She liked the CIC's galaxy map. Would have loved this."

"I could see that."

"You know," Joker twisted to see her, "I'd rather not have this upgrade or any of them. I'd rather just have EDI. Doesn't make up for it, even with all the fancy stuff to replace her."

Shepard frowned. "Of course. I'd rather have EDI too."

"Yeah." Joker turned back to the map. "I'd rather have her back in some form than have the ship, I guess."

Shepard scrunched her brow. "What?"

Joker swiveled around in his seat. "I love the Normandy. I mean, hands down. But, I guess, maybe I loved the Normandy so much 'cause she was the Normandy. What I really cared about was her. Now, she's gone, isn't coming back, I wish I'd lost the ship instead of her, ya know?"

"Never thought I'd hear you say something like that, Joker."

"Yeah, well …" Joker turned back to the star map. "Guess, I didn't think I'd ever say that either. Just had to lose what I really cared about to realize what it was."

Shepard's forehead pinched harder, and she shifted on her feet. Her boot crunched something on the floor again. Something metallic caught the light on the floor. She scooped the up and uncurled her hand. A chill jolted up her spine and breath drained out of her lungs. She stared at it.

"What's that?" Joker turned his chair. He raised himself up on his armrests to get a glimpse her trembling palm. "That come off a uniform?"

Shepard squeezed her fingers around the silver button. It had been lost the bowels of the ship. She had let it go over the grate. But here it was again, hers if she wanted it. A second chance. It dug into her palm.

"Captain, you look—"

"I need to go."

Shepard spun on her heels and rounded the doorway to the ship's airlock.

"Later, Captain."

Shepherd plunged down the loading ramp and burst into the terminal. She unfolded the button in her hand and stared at it for a long moment before shoving it away in her pocket. Heart pounding, she checked the time on her Omni-Tool. She knew what she needed to do. The Normandy caught the side of her vision, gleaming through the terminal's window. Shepard gripped the railing along the glass and fixed her eyes on the it. She needed to do something first though.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

"Hey there, Lola." James came up behind her in the reflection.

The pale sunrise gleamed across the Normandy's hull. Shepard turned away from the window.

"James. They really did discharge you."

"Shoved me out last night."

"Feeling okay?"

"Bien." James eyed her. "What's this about, Lola? Got your message at the crack of dawn. Here I am."

Shepard tilted her head to the window and twisted back to the window. James came next to her with knitted eyebrows. He followed her gaze to the Normandy.

"James." Shepard looked over at him. "I want to talk to you about something."

XXX

Shepard sighed and checked the time on her Omni-Tool again. A feline-eyed assistant watched her over the top of the terminal on her desk. Her expression only changed in a degree of sourness, but still an improvement over Anthony. Shepard re-crossed her legs and resettled herself on the couch, not for the first time. The couch's armrest was too high or the cushions too plush, she couldn't find the right position.

"How long's this meeting?" Shepard asked.

"The admiral has a full schedule today."

"Too busy to see one of his direct subordinates?" Shepard shifted again on the cushion. The fringe of a palm leaf tickled her arm, and she shoved the plant away. The pot teetered. Shepard grabbed a handful of leaves.

"Uh, sorry," she said righting it. A piece of torn leaf stuck to her hand. She rubbed it off against the couch then stood. "Look, I—"

The office door slid open.

"Put it in tomorrow's report," Wilson's voice said said.

A pair of rear admirals Shepard recognized came through the door at the same time.

"We'll review it again tomorrow." Wilson stood in the doorway.

The rear admirals saluted him. The assistant shot Shepard a pointed frown as she hedged up to the door.

"Admiral Wilson," Shepard said.

Wilson's lips pressed into a flat line as she wedged up beside one of the rear admirals.

The assistant rushed up behind her. "Admiral, I'm so sorry. She just—"

"No, no," Wilson said. He turned his attention back to the rear admirals and returned their salute. "Tomorrow."

The admiral next to her glanced sideways with slit eyes. He gave her a heavy frown before filing out the reception room door behind the other rear admiral. The assistant hovered behind Shepard, but Wilson gave the assistant a nod. She drifted back to her desk.

"Admiral," Shepard said.

"What is it, Captain?" Wilson sighed.

"I need to talk to you."

"Another time." He put up a hand. "I have a parliamentary hearing in thirty minutes. I need to prepare."

"Sir …"

"Tomorrow should work fine for me." Wilson looked past her to the sour-faced assistant. "Gallagher, set the captain up with a time." Shepard folded her arms with a frown. Wilson regarded her for a moment, then added. "An early morning one."

"You have that debrief at eight," the assistant said.

"I'll come in early." Wilson gave Shepard a pointed look and turned back to his office. "Later, Captain."

Shepard dashed around him into his office and rounded to face him. Wilson sputtered.

"Sir, I need to speak with you. Now. If you can't talk to me, you'll get it in an email."

"Send it in an email then," Wilson said through his teeth. "You're dismissed."

"Fine." Shepard shrugged and moved past him back to the door. "You're going to be angry."

"About what?"

"Wait for the email, sir."

"Fine!" Wilson snapped.

Shepard paused in the doorway. The assistant was already standing and waving Shepard toward the reception room's exit. Wilson flagged the assistant off with the back of his hand, and eyeing Shepard. He tipped his head to his desk, but she stopped in the center of the room and let the door close behind her.

Wilson released a weighty sigh and stomped to his desk. "This had better—"

"I'm resigning."

Wilson stumbled. He grabbed hold of the desk and turned back with wide eyes. "What?"

"I'm sorry. That's what I had to say, sir."

Wilson frowned at the floor.

"Why?" He looked up.

"Doesn't matter."

"Sit down." Wilson indicated the couch in the corner of the office.

"No." Shepard backed up to the door. "I'll write you something more official, but I—"

"It's Alenko, isn't it?"

Shepard stopped. "What?"

Wilson put his palm out toward the couch. "You wanted a chat. Let's have a chat." He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "I have time. I can postpone if I must." He strolled to the couch and looked back at her. "Sit."

Shepard shifted on her feet. "I—"

"Come over here, Shepard. Let's have a chat."

He sat down on the far end of the couch and motioned to the other end. Shepard glanced at the door one last time then came over with a sigh.

"What?" she said.

She plopped down on the far end. Wilson's eyes hardened with a frown.

"Sir," Shepard added. "What, sir?"

Wilson gave a slight nod and put an arm across the back of the couch. He angled himself toward her.

"Shepard, I know the factors here."

"Factors?" Shepard said flatly.

"Kaidan Alenko. You two …" He rolled his hand in the air then rested it back on the couch. "I'm aware."

"It isn't like that. Hasn't been for a while. What you saw …"

Wilson held up a palm and looked away. "That isn't something I need to know."

"Well …" Shepard peered at him. "It wasn't what you think. That time at in my quarters."

"Don't try denying this, Shepard." Wilson sighed and rolled his eyes over to her. "This is all off the record."

"Then, off the record, I'm telling you - it wasn't like that. Kaid—General Alenko did nothing wrong."

"Nothing wrong?" Wilson frowned with a snort. He leaned forward and dropped his voice. "You taking a shower with him there alone in your quarters. Evidence of drinking. Easily unduly intimate and witnessed firsthand by two senior officers. It doesn't take more than that. Completely inappropriate, and it disrupted your work. It was a galaxy-wide political event where both you and Alenko had a duty to protect security. Tell me that doesn't qualify for a fraternization court martial. It's by our good graces, you're not both sitting in a disciplinary hearing right now."

Shepard stomped to her feet. "This is a witch hunt."

Wilson's nostrils flared. "Sit back down."

"Not if this is the conversation."

"I'm stating the facts."

"Kaidan didn't do anything wrong. Yes, we drank. You have scores of officers that get together and, yes, drink. He didn't even know I was going to take a shower. He was leaving anyway. Subpoena me. I'll say the same thing. Either way, I'm resigning, and that can be the end of it. Whatever happens after is no harm, no foul. No reason there should be any problems for him."

"What happens after the fact doesn't absolve anyone from what happened before it. You've read the regulations. You were both active military officers at the time. Alenko knew that."

"You'll pursue this against him?" Shepard drew closer.

"Alenko's arrogant. He could use being brought down a few pegs."

"Kaidan? Arrogant?" Shepard snorted. She gave Wilson a flat look. "Is this blackmail to prevent me from resigning? It won't work." She turned to the door. "Subpoena me at his hearing then. I'll help him fight it."

"Come back."

"We're done here." Shepard reached for the door's button.

"There's another way." Wilson shot out of his seat. Shepard paused. "Hear me out. The Alliance does consider you an asset. A galactic pain in the ass as far as I'm concerned, but an asset."

Shepard turned with hands on her hips and waited. Wilson strolled over to her.

"Alenko could use a reminder of his place. I stand by that. It'd do him good."

Shepard turned to the door button again, but Wilson cut in front of her.

"It won't happen though," Wilson said. "There was a push in the past to see you and Alenko disciplined. Some voices wanted one or both of you out, but we know now a lot of that was coming from people with another agenda. They weren't alone in pushing it, of course, but feelings have changed."

Shepard gazed at him coolly. Wilson moved back to the couch and waited of her. She didn't follow.

"The Alliance recognizes your value. And … Kaidan Alenko, too. What you managed together at the Summit was reckless, brazen, even—" He caught himself and seemed to think better of it. He changed his tone. "The job got done. The risk was averted. And, it took some talent. The Alliance sees that, can use that."

"So glad to be useful."

"I saw you and the General in action that night. I don't like him, and you're a royal pain in the ass, Shepard, but you two work well together. Even I could see that. You're two important officers. We don't want to lose that."

"Then, what are you proposing?" Shepard frowned.

Wilson looked meaningfully at the far corner of the couch. Shepard sighed and came over.

"Here, is what I can say," Wilson said as she sat down. "You and Alenko do whatever you want. In private. Discreet. The Alliance doesn't need to know, and we won't be looking."

"Discreet?" Shepard sat forward.

"Discreet. Private. In public – meetings, hallways, outdoors, indoors, on duty, off duty, friends and family, anyone not just you and him – you're coworkers. What you do in total privacy, we don't care."

"Really? Reg's be damned?"

"That's why it'll be kept low profile, Shepard. Other officers can't know. We're not officially having this conversation."

"And if someone finds out?"

"Don't let them. If they do, well, we can deal with that internally. Denials go a long way. Keep your distance during the day. The rest of the time, no one's watching your door."

Shepard leaned back into the corner of the couch. She studied Wilson.

"Kaidan's going to the Terminus System."

"It's an important mission. It's going to further his career. Your tasks on Palaven, Thessia - that's going to further yours. Keep whatever communication you want. Comm buoys will be up in a year. As a Spectre, you have access to the Council's quantum entanglement comm before then. Granted, it is an open, certainly not private, channel. Communication should be … professional. After some time, when these assignments are finished, there may be opportunity to be stationed in a closer vicinity. Relays are coming back up. You work well together. There may be opportunities for some collaboration in the future."

Shepard rested an elbow on the armrest and ran her fingernails across her lips. It was a solution. They could keep their ranks. Per Wilson, it wouldn't inhibit their career trajectories, and they would be together. Warth perfused from her chest at the memory of resting up against him the night before the Summit - his chest rising and falling against her face, the beating of his heart, the warmth of his arm encircling her shoulder, breathing in the scent of his soap. She could have all of that, and she wouldn't lose anything. Shepard glanced over at Wilson. He smiled, waiting.

Thoughts rolled around her head as her eyes drifted over Wilson's office. Medals glinted in the overhead lighting on the wall across from her. For appearances, she probably couldn't be front row at Kaidan's next commendation, and he'd be saluting her at hers. Maybe even a handshake. She saw it then: Alliance functions - arriving at separate times, staggering their departures; moderating glasses of champagne at the Council's anniversary celebration and meeting up later only to fight and fret - someone could have seen that lingering touch on the back, that lieutenant might read into that errant comment if he thought more about it; no nights out without the cover of a friendly entourage; no restaurant dinners alone, unless a private room was reserved off the main floor, and then entering through the back door; no dancing; no parties; no greetings in the terminal after a long assignment. Their whole relationship - reserved, strained, waiting for the evening; sneaking and hiding in front of crew and anyone but their most trusted friends; agonizing over which officer's career they'd ruin if they gave themselves away and he went to administration to report it. There would never be spontaneous kisses or even touching hands. Lingering looks, at most.

They couldn't recognize their relationship. The single woman studying their group from across the bar wouldn't see any reason not to approach. She'd buy Kaidan a drink, smiling, and trail a finger down his arm, a warm public gesture he probably missed and which Shepard couldn't give him. Shepard's glass of beer would practically crack in her clenched hand as Kaidan shot her nervous glances and fended the woman off in some too-polite way they'd fight about later. The woman, feeling the vibe, might even ask if she and Kaidan were together. 'No' she'd have to hiss from between her teeth, try to dampen the fire in her eyes, and pull up a pleasant smile.

And, their future together would be static. Kaidan wasn't the type to be satisfied with midnight hook-ups and clandestine meetings around corners and down dark hallways. After so many years, it might not be enough. Maybe … maybe it wasn't enough for her either. Wilson watched her, smile fading. Shepard pulled her fingertips from her lips and stood up.

"No."

"No?" Wilson frowned. "Think this through."

"No," Shepard repeated. "That's not what I want. I appreciate the offer, but …"

Shepard crossed over to the door. Wilson pushed himself up from the couch.

"But what?" he asked.

She stopped in front of the door and looked over.

"It's not enough," she said.

"You're losing the Normandy."

"I know." She stared at the door's button for a long moment, then turned back to Wilson. "Actually, if you'll hear me out, I've considered that. I have a suggestion."

XXX

Shepard rushed down the terminal. She dodged through the Alliance uniforms intermingled with alien diplomats and clerical staff, all going different directions. Docking bay A17 loomed ahead. Shepard checked the time with it bouncing on her wrist, then spurred ahead faster. A salarian stopped in front of her answering an Omni-Tool call. She crashed around him and shot ahead. She burst around the corner of terminal to dock A17. The transport shuttle was still there, docked.

Shepard smoothed down her uniform and walked over to the loading area. Alliance officers stood in a loose cluster around the loading ramp. Shepard scanned past their faces and gazed down the ramp to the shuttle. There wasn't any movement inside, and the lights seemed too dim for people to already be loaded.

"Shepard," a voice said.

Shepard spun around. Admiral Hackett walked across the dock to her.

"Admiral," Shepard said with a growing frown.

She scanned around the dock again before moving to meet him. He motioned her off to the side.

"Shepard, Admiral Wilson contacted me. Let's talk about this."

"There's nothing to discuss." Shepard kept her back to the wall and faced the loading area. She searched the crowd moving opposite directions in the hallway.

"What's the plan?" Hackett asked crossing his arms. "Go to the Terminus System?"

"Not necessarily." Shepard glanced at him.

"A waste."

"That's for me to decide, Admiral."

Hackett sighed and watched her scanning the crowd. Maybe she shouldn't have assumed the shuttle was empty. She turned to the shuttle and squinted down the ramp. Hackett moved into her field of view. Shepard frowned and stood on the balls of her feet to see over him.

"He's not coming," Hackett said.

"What?" Shepard's heels slapped down on the floor. "He already left? Damnit."

"No," Hackett said pulling his crossed arms tighter. "He resigned."

"What?" Ice hardened her chest. "What are you talking about?"

"Resigned before you did," Hackett said. "This morning. I thought you may not know. That's why I came to catch you."

"Catch me for what?" Shepard's shallow breathing faster.

"Catch you from making a mistake."

"Did he say why?"

"It was quick. He didn't give a reason."

Shepard touched her forehead mind racing.

"He quit, Shepard."

Shepard met Hackett's eyes.

"He quit," Hackett repeated. "It means you don't have to."

Shepard stared at him. Hackett stepped closer.

"Kaidan's not an officer now, only a Spectre. There shouldn't be … There's no reason you couldn't continue captaining the Normandy."

"Kaidan quit," Shepard echoed, eyes dropping.

"But you don't have to."

Shepard looked up.

"He's left the service," Hackett continued. "Regs don't apply now. Stay with the Alliance, Shepard. You can keep the Normandy."

Shepard gazed down the long terminal corridor. The Normandy was at docking bay A28. Through the layers of walls, people, and ships, she could see it in her mind's eye gleaming in the morning sun. Waiting. She braced herself against the wall and focused back on Hackett.

"What do you say?" He smiled.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Shepard's eyes reflected back at her in the copper plaque. ANDERSON. Not too far away on the rock slab, to her left and a few rows down - ALENKO, Kaidan's dad. Shepard shuffled back a step and scanned the grassy expanse of memorials.

She'd tried his room. Tried her own room. Tried the Normandy. Tried messaging him. No response. He, apparently, wasn't interested in see her. She'd assumed he'd be looking for her. It didn't make sense. Maybe she'd jumped to conclusion too fast. Rather self-centered to assume his motives had to do with her. Perhaps he just didn't want to go to the Terminus System. This didn't seem like the way he'd go about it though, if that was the only factor. Maybe there were other anchors. He wanted to stay with his family. Maybe he wanted to go to Thessia. Shepard released a long breath and meandered down the wall of names. The sun hung low over the ocean in the distance ahead. She should call off the search. If he wanted to talk, he'd find her.

She stopped at the edge of the Memorial Gardens overlooking the ocean. Ocean wind roared in her ears and whipped her hair flagging back behind her. A waist-high wall of stones railed the ocean cliff face. Shepard put her hands on it and looked out over the ocean. She could use his Spectre trick, track where he used his access codes. That required he went somewhere requiring an access code though.

Shepard pressed her palms down on the wall and lifted onto her toes to feel the wind. She just needed to relax, but this a infuriating. He'd seen her messages. She could tell. The tide looked like it was sweeping in. She gazed below at the beach. Her eyes stopped.

She dropped back into the grass and rushed along the rock wall. Sure enough, further down the wall there was a metal gate. A stone staircase zigzagged down the cliffside to access the beach. She vaulted down the stairs two at a time. It was a lot of crisscrossing before she finally stumbled out into the sand. Down the beach, Kaidan was already looking over his shoulder at her.

"Kaidan." She tromped through the sand. "Hell, you're hard to find."

He stood next to a white driftwood log where the powdery sand changed into a packed, wet brown. Shepard came up around the driftwood and stopped on Kaidan's other side.

"Hey. Why're you ignoring my messages?"

He looked away, back at the ocean. "Hey, Shepard."

"'Hey, Shepard'?" She frowned and tried to catch his eye. "What's going on? Why're you down here? I've been looking for you."

He sighed and folded his arms. His eyes fixed on the tide foam slipping up the beach toward them. Shepard moved in front of him.

"Kaidan?"

His eyes lowered. "I don't know, Shepard. I'm trying to think."

"Think about what? You know that I heard, right?"

"I figured."

"And?" Shepard waited. "Were you going to tell me in the next forty-eight hours, before I left to Palavan? Or, just wait for me to hear it on ANN?"

"ANN?" He eyed her sharply. "It wouldn't … That's newsworthy?"

"An Alliance general resigning the day of deployment on a major assignment. Uh, yeah, Kaidan, of course, it is."

"Hell." He covered his mouth, fingertips steepled over the bridge of his nose.

"Kaidan." Shepard frowned and pulled on one of his hands.

He sucked in a breath and dropped his hands.

"Damnit, Kaidan. Why're you all upset like this?" Shepard peered in his face. "It was your decision, right? No one said something to you. Did you think you'd be disciplined over what Wilson and Hackett saw?"

"What?" He frowned. "No."

"Then, what's going on? Why're you out here like this?"

"You really think this is going on ANN?"

He turned away and shuffled to the log of driftwood. He sat with a thud and looked at his hands. Shepard walked over.

"I …" He paused and rubbed a callus on his hand. "I left them in the lurch, didn't I?"

"Uh … yeah, I suppose." Shepard sat next to him.

There wasn't much room, and he scooted over.

"That's all right, though. They'll figure it out." Shepard hunched over beside him. "They have other people."

Kaidan shook his head still looking down at his hand. "I should have talked to the captains first. The biotics division deserved better than this. I … Damn." He put his face in his hands again.

"Kaidan." Shepard pulled at his hand again.

This time he resisted. Shepard let go.

"It's all right," she said.

"Is it?" he said through his hands. "I don't know."

"And, that's what you're down here to think about - whether you let everyone down?"

"That and … other things." He dropped his hands and looked at her.

Shepard grabbed one of his hand with both of hers and held it on her knee. He didn't pull his hand back, but he looked away again.

"Is there a different reason than the one I'm thinking?" Shepard asked.

"Shepard …"

"Just tell me, Kaidan. You have to know I'd jump to that conclusion. Unless … unless it's Liara. Maybe-"

"No." He sat up sharply with a frown.

"Then, is there another reason? Something else I'm missing?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know." Shepard exhaled roughly. "Who the hell knows at this point? Maybe you discovered your call for marine biology. The beach here, the way you ogled my fish …"

"Don't joke."

"Don't joke?" Shepard stared at him. "You want to be alone then? Am I bothering you?"

"You're not … bothering me."

"But you want to be alone?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Fine." Shepard dropped his hand and shoved up off the driftwood. "I guess whenever you come to your epiphany, you can come find me."

He frowned with a shrug. "Fine."

"Fine," Shepard repeated.

She strode away kicking up sand with each step and glared back over her shoulder at him. He leaned forward again and picked at the callous on his hand. Shepard stopped. Her jaw flexed. She spun back around.

"You know, Kaidan—"

"I knew you couldn't leave."

"What?" She clomped closer.

He twisted to look at her. "We can talk about it. I don't care. You won't leave me alone until we do."

"I was about to."

"But you didn't."

"Still could."

Kaidan shrugged and turned back to face the ocean. Shepard drummed her fingers on her hips. She sighed and stomped over.

"Told you," he murmured.

She bent down and shoved his shoulder. He batted her hand away.

"You always badger me like this," he said.

"Badger you?" Shepard laughed.

"Yeah."

"Well, maybe you need some badgering. You're all sulky." She sank down next to him on the log again. "Come on." She hunched forward and looked up in his face. "I want to be with you, Kaidan. You don't want the same thing?"

His eyes snapped to her, focused and unblinking. "Is that true?"

"Is it true?" Shepard echoed with a frown. "I was told not to joke." She paused holding his eye and let out a weary breath. "I wouldn't joke about that, Kaidan."

He straightened, still staring at her. His eyes searched her face. He opened his mouth then stopped himself. His expression darkened, and he looked away.

"Kaidan …" Shepard's heart beat harder.

Perhaps he'd felt the way she did now on the Alliance veranda a year ago. Their coffee cooling in the bay wind, as he waited through her long lead-in for the bad news.

"Kaidan," Shepard repeated in a wobbly voice. "Just tell me. If I'm wrong to think that, then I'm wrong. Just say it."

"Shepard." He angled himself to face her. "I want to ask you something, but I'm not sure you'll give me the real answer."

"I'm not going to lie to you." Shepard's brow pinched.

"You don't know that," he said in a firm voice.

Shepard let out a long breath. "I'm so pathological, I'm lying to you about lying to you? Come on."

"I'm not saying that," he grumbled.

"Then what? What are you saying? I can't figure you out."

He shifted on the log and shrugged. "You don't want to hurt me, so maybe you'd say something that isn't fully true. It isn't really a lie you'd think, because it's half true or because it's for a good reason, spare my feelings. People lie all the time. They don't think of themselves as liars. Sometimes, you know saying the truth would leave you feeling guiltier than if you just stretched it."

"What?" Shepard blurted with brows indenting deeper. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"That's my worry. Aside from all the other stuff."

"That I'm going to lie to spare your feelings?"

"That you won't give me the truth, yes."

Shepard snorted, pushed off the log, and stood. "Why would you even think that? I haven't held the truth back from you before. We've always been honest with each other. Now you doubt me?"

"Shepard." He got to his feet. "When we talked last year, you were so afraid of hurting me, you had a whole themed story worked up leading to the punchline. How am I not supposed to worry you'd hold back to spare me … hurt feelings or whatever?"

"I never lied to you," Shepard hissed.

"I'm not saying you did." He raised his voice, then caught himself. He took a few breaths, then repeated in a calm voice, "I'm saying, trying to say, you obviously are worried enough to act out of character to protect my feelings. Why can't I think you'd do something similar again?"

"Kaidan …" Shepard's chest heaved with each quickening breath.

"I just want the truth." He looked away.

Shepard tore in front of him, sprayed sand around her feet, to block his line of view.

"Oh, trust me, Kaidan. I'll give it to you. No worries there."

His eyes rounded. She tapped a finger hard into his chest.

"Shoot." She snapped. "Go ahead. Ask me your damn question. You want honesty? You'll get it."

His mouth tightened.

"Well?" Shepard extended her arms out and shuffled a step closer.

"Well …" he said. He took a step back and bumped into the driftwood.

Shepard took another step forward.

"Give me the damn question," she said through gritted teeth.

Kaidan put his palms up. "Now I'm worried I've skewed the results the other direction."

"What?" Shepard stormed.

Kaidan backed along the side of the driftwood, but Shepard followed right on top of each step backward. The corners of his lips twitched up.

"This is funny?" Shepard asked.

"You're so mad at me." Kaidan's lips hardened, but the edges started to lift again. "Are you going to attack me?"

"Attack you?" Shepard stopped.

"Yeah." Kaidan paused in the sand. "Bury me neck deep. Let the tide roll in."

"Don't joke," Shepard said flatly.

"Who's joking?" He grinned.

Shepard's breathing slowed with some effort. He smiled crookedly at her, and she narrowed her eyes. She took a sharp step forward, and he stumbled back putting his palms up again.

"Really think I'd win, huh?" Shepard asked.

"Yeah. I wouldn't hurt you. Can't say the same the other direction."

"I thought your stories didn't put you on the receiving end."

"In fiction. This is nonfiction."

"Worried I'm going to make it too graphic?"

"Uh … well. Depends on the type of graphic."

Shepard gave him a hard stare. A smile slanted on her lips though, and she folded her arms with a loud exhale. Kaidan gave a restrained smile.

"Give me your damn question." Shepard sighed.

"Fine." Kaidan raised his palms with fingers spread and narrowed the space between them. "Listen …"

"Oh, I am."

"I know." Kaidan stood in front of her. "Listen, Shepard. You said you want to … be with me. Is it because I quit the Alliance?"

"What?" Her forehead wrinkled.

"Look," he said. "I don't want you feeling like you owe me anything. That's not why I did it. It's why I didn't do it. Until now. I don't want you to be with me because I ruined my career over you, and you owe it to me."

"Then, you didn't leave the Alliance to be with me?"

Kaidan gave a heavy sigh. "I say 'yes,' I'm putting pressure on you. I'd rather we're not together than have any part of you only with me because of guilt. I had other reasons for leaving, but … yes, for us, I wanted to make it possible."

Shepard's lung filled, and he grabbed her hands.

"I love you, Shepard. I always have. I never stopped. Of course, I want to be with you, but I don't want that if it's not everything you want."

"Kaidan," Shepard said softly and stepped up to him. "You can't think that. Of course, that's what I want. You know how I feel about you."

"Do I?" He shrugged and looked down at their hands. He traced a thumb over the back of her hand.

"You doubt it?" Shepard stooped to look up at him.

"I don't know," he said gently. "I—I know you care about me, Shepard."

"So, I didn't mean all the things I've ever told you?"

"You all but said you regretted it. You told me there were promises and things implied before the war that couldn't be lived up to after. I understood what you meant, Shepard. Don't act like there's no reason for me to be confused.

Shepard shifted on her feet and chewed her lip.

"Okay, that's fair. But, I didn't intend to imply that I didn't meant the things I'd said to you, only that I didn't know how to follow through on them. Kaidan." She tightened her grip on his hands and stared into his face. "I love you. I love you too, all right? Is that what you're waiting for? It was true then. It's true now. It didn't stop being true in between. You mean more to me than anyone ever has."

His smile widened slowly.

"Well …" Shepard said. "What's holding us back then?"

Kaidan searched her eyes. "Nothing."

He brushed a hand across her cheek and slid his fingers into her hair. His thumb rested on the skin by her ear, and he bent in closer. It was taking so damn long though. She surged against him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and pulled him into her kiss. It made her dizzy to taste him again, feel his tongue against hers. His fingers tightened in her hair, and his other hand raised to her waist and pulled her in closer. Breath burned between their face, and she coiled her arm tighter around his neck and kissed him deeper. Her breath came faster as his hand untangled from her hair and slid down the back of her neck. The kiss was become stronger, greedier, consuming. She pulled away.

"Wait." She panted.

"What?" He said breathless.

He blinked at her as if she was coming back into focus. She drew her arms down from around his neck.

"What's the matter?" he frowned still holding her close around the waist.

"There's something I need to tell you."

His hands slid away, and he stepped back. His eyes had an alert, edge to them. Shepard gripped his arm and held him from retreating.

"What's going on?" he said.

"Don't get worked up," she sputtered. "It's nothing. Stop worrying."

"Okay," he said. He waited, then gave a timid smile. "Do I get to say give me the damn question?"

"It's not a question," she said. "It's just …" Her chest tightened, but she pushed ahead and said it. "I left the Alliance."

"What?" His eyes rounded.

"This morning."

He stepped back and touched his forehead with his fingertips. He paced away, and Shepard rustled through the sand next to him. He stopped short and turned to her.

"The Normandy …"

"I'm leaving her in good hands. It wasn't the metal I loved anyway, it was the people. It was you. It's time for something else."

"You can still get it back, Shepard." Kaidan spun to face her fully. "Talk to Hackett."

"No." Shepard frowned. "I made my decision."

"But, if you'd known … I should have told you." He grabbed her hands roughly. "I'm sorry, Shepard. I'm so sorry. I didn't know you'd—"

"Kaidan." Shepard jiggled his hands. "I already knew you'd resigned. Hackett caught me at the transport waiting for you. He tried to change my mind."

"But, why then?" Kaidan swallowed and shook his head. "I resigned. You have to know this, but as long as one of us isn't Alliance, we can be together. It doesn't need to be both of us."

"True," Shepard said. "You should go back, Kaidan. Hackett would take you."

"No." His face scrunched.

"You're worried about your biotics team. This assignment …"

"They're sending me to the Terminus System."

"Then go. We'll figure something out."

"Like what? There are better things for you than going to the Terminus System with me, and it'll be years before the relay's functional to fast travel."

"We'll work it out." Shepard shrugged. "Just go back and—"

"No, Shepard," Kaidan said with a heated firmness. "I don't want to work it out."

"Then ask for another assignment. Hackett's desperate. He'll deal."

"No," Kaidan repeated. "We've lost enough time. And, I'm done serving two masters. Until they figure out where they stand with human Spectres, I'm done. I'll work for the Council, resources or not."

"Resources," Shepard repeated and put her hands on her hips. "Guess the Alliance needs to help us out a little, if they don't want the only two human Spectres embarrassing humanity by begging on the tarmac."

"Wilson will never allow it," Kaidan said. "And the flight admirals aren't much better."

"Perhaps not the Alliance then, but I have clout. We both have connections, friends. We'll make it work. And, who knows? Maybe we can change some things. Humanity's never had Spectres before. We can be trailblazers."

Kaidan shook his head with a reluctant grin. "Sounds like they're in for trouble."

"The Alliance?"

"The Alliance, the Council, whoever stands in your way."

" _Our_ way." Shepard closed the distance between them. "Funny, all this time I thought we accomplished a greater good by doing our separate parts, but I was wrong. We can accomplish more together than the sum of what we could apart. Maybe your greatest weakness can also be your greatest strength. You make me stronger."

"I feel the same way, Shepard." He touched her face with a smile.

"You know, I heard there are some rachni near Palaven. Seems like a Council matter. Someone should reach out to them."

"Maybe a couple of Spectres if they can thumb a ride?" Kaidan grinned.

Shepherd pressed against him and took his face in both hands. "Let's go discuss it then. How about some place a little more … private?"

"Yeah?"

She kissed him. She grabbed his hand, and dragged him toward the stairs.

"Shepard, we're not really going to, uh … multitask, right?"

Shepard laughed and grinned over her shoulder at him. He gave a loopy grin. This warm, full feeling in her chest – it's what she had been searching for all along. For once, surviving the Crucible, didn't feel like fate's mistake. As fingers interlocked and they galloped up the stairs, she knew _this_ was what she wanted next.


	55. Chapter 55

Epilogue

Ten Years Later

"And this is the day, the day the krogan will never forget."

The Council's amphitheater seats erupted in applause as cameras buzzed overhead. Urdnot Bakara grinned from the center of the stage by the microphone. The great expanse of the citadel glimmered through the glass walls around the hall. The lawn and walkways beyond the doors budged with a cornucopia of cheering races. Screens with Bakara's face glowed over the crowds across the city. Bakara turned to the back of the stage and held out an arm. Shepard strode to the front of the stage, and the cheering swelled. Bakara placed a hand on Shepard's back and waited for the roar to die down.

"Councilor Bakara," Shepard nodded to the krogan. Shepard's voice projected back at her from the distant corners of the council stage. "This is the first time a krogan has taken a seat at the Councilor's table. What you and Urdnot Wrex have accomplished, unifying the krogan and restoring the great cities of Tuchanka, is a testament to the great things the krogan can do. And now, you bring that strength to the Council. The return of the krogan is a historic event for Tuchanka and its colonies, but it's also a great moment for the Council. The innovative curiosity Councilor Bakara brought to her own people, will now benefit us all. The boundless strength and tenacity of the krogan now bolsters all the galactic races. Welcome to the Citadel Council. Welcome back, Glory of the Krogan."

Applause rose as ambassadors and delegates got to their feet all around the room. Krogans shoved and roared in the first few rows around the stage. A few reporters stumbled back as a krogan tumbled back from a head butt and broke the backs off a couple of chairs. Councilor Tevos fell in next to Shepard and gave a sideways grin. Councilors Ilk and Sparatus stepped up on Tevos's other side. The audience's cheers pitched up even higher, and Shepard craned her neck around to see Wrex stride out from backstage. He stopped next to Bakara and gave her a toothy nod. She inclined her head with a smile.

"The krogan have returned," Wrex boomed the stage. "Tuchanka recognizes the Galatic Council." He pumped his fist in the air and stirred the deafening crowd. He stepped to the side and put his hand out. "Our Councilors."

Shepard glanced between Bakara and Tevos with a smile. She looked out at the crowd, the Citadel's arms glowing in the distance. The stage echoed with cheers.

XXX

"Councilor."

Shepard turned. "Garrus! Damn, it's good to see you."

Garrus looped through the crowd in the echoey, white reception room. Cameras flashed in the distance roped off from the main part of the room. VIPs milled among the room's pillars and banquet tables – Alliance brass, Council representatives, and foreign dignitaries. A krogan had already knocked over a buffet table against the wall. Waiters scrambled with towels as some scrambled out from the kitchen with a mop.

"Shepard." Garrus shook her hand.

Tali came up behind him.

"Tali!" Shepard rushed forward and hugged her. "It's been too long."

"Damn, Shepard." Garrus whistled. "I see where I stack up. Where's my hug?"

"Fine." Shepard grabbed him for a hug. "I saw you last month. Tali I haven't seen in … hell, who knows? A year? More?"

"Ten months ago, Shepard," Tali said.

"Felt like a year."

"Have to come to Rannoch with me more often," Garrus said. He turned to Tali and waved a hand at Shepard. "I invite her every Council recess."

Shepard tapped Garrus's arm with her fist. "Hey, you. You keep spending every recess there, Palaven's going to fire you as their Council liaison. Tali, make him go home once in a while."

"We go to Palaven all the time," Tali said putting her hands on her hips. "Might have been a few months maybe. We've got a new house there, you know."

"What about visiting the here? Ever think of staying a bit in Garrus's pad on the Citadel?"

"Where do you think I'm staying now?"

"It's been ten months, and the last time I saw you was on Rannoch, not here. Seeing you here is like a Big Foot sighting."

"A what?"

Garrus whispered into the side of her mask, then rolled his eyes to Shepard. "You keep testing my human trivia knowledge. Won't work."

"How do I know what you whispered to her?" Shepard shrugged. "Could have been 'Nod, like you know what I'm saying.'"

"I am so insulted by your reference, Shepard," Tali pointed at her.

"Still, not convinced. You could be insulted by context alone. Go ahead, tell me what a Big Foot is. Maybe I made it up just to fool you, Garrus."

Garrus gave her a hard stare. "Sasquatch."

"Damnit! You're getting good."

"He makes me do flashcards with him."

"Tali!" Garrus turned on her.

Shepard laughed. "Huh. Thanks, Tali. I think I can incorporate that into some teasing later."

"Uh, sorry." Tali's mask turned to Garrus and pinched her shoulders up in a shrug.

"Tali, I miss you. You should think about coming back as the quarian ambassador," Shepard said. "Herron's an asshole."

"Shepard," Garrus said under his breath and looked around them with wide eyes. "He could have been standing right behind you, would you have known? You're supposed to have tact to be a Councilor."

"They can fire me." Shepard shrugged. "Everyone knows he's an asshole. He probably knows he's an asshole."

"Herron's just…" Tali paused. "Yeah, I can't think of anything nice to say."

"See." Shepard looked at Garrus and motioned at Tali. "Even Tali."

Garrus chuckled. "So, a quarian admiral has, quote, 'nothing nice to say.' That, compares to a Councilor calling the quarian ambassador an asshole?"

"Just to you."

"And the passing wait staff," Garrus said.

"And that guy over there," Tali said. "Maybe those ones behind you too."

Shepard rolled her eyes with a limp shrug. She turned to Tali. "Any chances though? I'd put in some good words."

Tali's mask tilted. "The quarian ambassador and Palaven liason …"

"Sounds like a good vid," Shepard said. "You eat that stuff up. It could be real life."

"Sounds like a media storm," Garrus mused. "Let's do it."

"No, no, no." Tali put up a hand. "I'm staying on Rannoch. Excursions are all right, but I waited all my life to be there. I'm not moving to the Citadel or Earth."

Garrus sighed. "She's gonna make me retire young and settle down in Rannoch. Be a boring farmer."

"I couldn't make you do anything," Tali said.

"Oh, no. Not you," Garrus said. "My love for you. Does this stuff to me all the time."

"Well." Shepard patted Garrus's back. "I'm hoping you have a few good years left in you before you break out the plow."

"We'll see," Garrus said. "Damn tough being apart so much. Retirement doesn't sound half bad, even if I'm counting seeds. Long as I have the love of my life."

"Oh." Tali snuggled his arm. "I love you, too. We should go to Palaven on your next break."

"Sure. Hey, look, Tali." Garrus nodded his head at the corner of the room. "Shepard's asshole ambassador is waving at you."

"Oh, no."

"Yeah. Enjoy that." Shepard moved off. "That's my prompt to mingle."

"He's coming over." Tali sighed.

"Shepard," Garrus said. "Drinks later?"

Shepard turned. "The Fountain's down for reconstruction."

"Earth then," he said.

"Okay." Shepard pointed at him as she backed away. "Message me."

XXX

"Thought I saw the Normandy come in." Shepard plucked a stemmed glass from the buffet table.

"Lola." James turned with a plate in one hand.

"Councilor." Joker peeked around James's shoulder.

"Joker." Shepard nodded them looked between them. "So, how was Hades? Got those mercs pinned down yet?"

"Working on it." James picked a cluster of grapes off his plate. He pulled one off the stem with his teeth. "You met my new XO, right? Damn brutal with the shotgun. Those vorcha mercs – vano. Right, Joker?"

"You're asking me, Vega?" Joker laughed. "Uh, little busy. Had to outmaneuver their supped up Bakarian cruiser. You know, so I could come back and save your asses."

"Ah, right." James grinned and finished off the last grape. He tossed the stem in the garbage. "Meant to ask what you're doing up there. Picked us up ten minutes late."

Joker stared at him. "Uh, Captain. For the first point—"

"Hey, hey." Shephard put out a hand. "I've seen enough headbutting this month."

"Oh, yeah," James said. "How'd that go? Tuchanka nice this time of year?"

"Is it nice any time of year?" Joker said then turned to Shepard. "Vids made you look all humanitarian. Kissing krogan babies and all."

"A month too," James whistled. "Long time to be shacked up with the krogan."

"Trust me. My entourage was extensive. It wasn't just the krogan."

"When you get back?" James picked at his plate then set it on an empty table.

Shepard sipped from her wine glass. "Been here for …" She checked her Omni-Tool. "Fifteen hours."

"You're kidding?" James said.

"Seriously? That's a close shave," Joker said.

"Hey, they weren't starting without Bakara." Shepard shrugged. "Walked off the ship, shooed Anita away with Avyn. We practically strolled right on stage clearing our throats for the speeches."

Shepard tipped her head back with the glass and finished it. She set it on the table next to James's plate.

"Maybe we oughtta move. We're in traffic," James said motioning around them.

A salarian dancing around Shepard to get to the drink table.

"Hey, there's Miranda." Joker pointed to a figure moving through the crowd toward them.

"Let's get out of the way," Shepard agreed with James.

They settled up against the wall. Miranda swung around a pillar and came up beside Shepard.

"Got back from the Tuchanka tour, Shepard?" Miranda said. "Thought I'd see you before the ceremony."

"Hey, Miranda." James nodded.

"James, Joker."

"Sorry. We rolled in late," Shepard said.

"She's still here? I can scan her right now."

Shepard checked the time on her Omni-Tool. "Probably already left."

"You're not staying on the Citadel?" Miranda asked.

"Headed planetside."

Miranda sighed. Joker's eyes glazed, and he glanced over at the buffet table.

"Later," Joker said. "Fancy cheese to sample."

He passed around them with his cane.

"I do this for _you_ , you know, Shepard." Miranda tapped her foot to draw Shepard's attention.

"I know. Can't say it hasn't helped your career though. That paper you published … Had a horde of salarians rushing us on Sur'Kesh three months ago after they read it."

"Good to know people still read science instead of just watching vids."

James gave them lazy looks and brought up a screen on his Omni-Tool. He leaned against the wall and started to scroll through what looked like messages. Shepard pulled her eyes away and smiled at Miranda.

"Why don't you come planetside? Come down for dinner this week."

Miranda pursed her lips. "Is Avyn going to spend all dinner hiding in her room?"

"You need blood or just a scan?"

"Both."

"Eh. I'll smoke her out. If we just get it done, we can enjoy the rest of the night. How much longer you need to keep running the blood? Thought you said she was out of the woods."

"Almost out of the woods, isn't out of the woods."

Shepard nodded, quiet. Miranda eyed her.

"Don't worry. Those other neural bundles … after this much time? They're benign. This is just being cautious."

"I suppose," Shepard murmured.

James shifted and turned off his Omni-Tool. He looked down the banquet table at Joker.

"I'm going to check on the alcohol situation. Be back," he said and moved off.

"She'll never need an implant, you know," Miranda said.

"Yeah." Shepard bunched her shoulders, folding her arms, and looked off. "If that's a good thing."

"It is. Human evolution, Shepard. All those years with eezo exposure contained, it was postulated humanity had seen the last generation of biotics. Now this? It's a step forward."

"If your child live," Shepard said. "I doubt those biotic parents think of it as a step forward."

"You're not one of them. That's what matters," Miranda said. "How many human biotics are there to begin with, let alone how many have children together? Eezo in the DNA. Essentially, a germline mutation becoming somatic. Just the right combination of chromsomes. It's—it's—"

"I read the paper," Shepard said flatly.

"Don't be testy, Shepard. I'm trying to help."

Shepard gave a dragging sigh. "I'm … sorry. Just, you make it sound like some grand discovery and leap for humankind. For me? Worst years of my life. Hands down. Worse than Saren or being spaced. Worse than the reaper invasion. To me."

"Don't do this again." Miranda rolled her eyes. "It's no one's fault."

"But, I'd heard about babies with the tumors. Knew it had something to do with biotic pairings. If we'd … I don't know. What's passed is passed. Got through hell. Here now."

"As she gets older, the risk decreases for another tumor. She's almost out of the woods, Shepard."

Shepard shrugged. "I hope so."

"What're we talking about?" James came up between them with a freshly loaded plate.

"They don't feed you on the Normandy?" Shepard asked.

"This?" James touted the plate rolling with crackers, meats, cheeses, and fruit. "What we get ain't exactly fresh."

"Good to be home, then?" Shepard asked.

"I'll come over for dinner," Miranda said, "Do I have to listen to him again?" She indicated James. "Your Normandy escapades get more outlandish with each retelling."

"We have to listen to fetus neural structure?" James shot back. "Kind of ruins the appetite."

"You might need to hear about fetal neural structures more often then," Miranda said pointing at his stomach. "Getting a little soft around the middle."

"Huh? You want me to take my shirt off? We'll settle this."

"Save the entertainment for Shepard's dinner." Miranda took a step back. "Tomorrow?"

"Works for me," Shepard said.

"You want me to cook?" James asked. "Got some new recipes. Jalapeno burrito."

"Shepard …" Miranda gave her a pleading look.

"Anita'll cook," Shepard reassured. "Don't worry."

"Thank you." Miranda walked off.

Shepard snaggefd a piece of cheese off James's plate. She bit the corner of it with a grin, but he just shrugged.

"So …" she said.

"Hey." He grinned suddenly. "Bec tell you what Avyn did last time we had her? It was right before Tuchanka, think you're on Arcturus. You know, she's just like you." James pointed at her with a slice of pepperoni then wadded it into his mouth.

"What'd she do?" Shepard folded her arms.

"Well, she's out playing with the twins, right? It's getting dark. So, I go out and tell 'em it's time for bed. Avyn's trying to persuade me. I'm having none of it. I tell her it's dark, they've got school tomorrow. She says to me, 'Uncle James, I'm sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree.' Respectfully disagree!"

"Uh, that's not me coming out." Shepard plucked another piece of cheese off his plate. He frowned this time. "That's one hundred percent her father. Probably remembered him saying it to me."

"That's not the part I'm talking about."

"There's more?" Shepard grimaced and took another bite of her cheese.

"Yeah. So, I send them to bed. Bec and I are cleaning up dinner and, uh … talking and stuff."

"Talking and stuff? You censoring this for me?"

"And … stuff." James grinned. "We're in the kitchen. I see this blue light through the window, out in the yard. Knew right away. I get out there. Sure enough. Avyn's out tossing the ball around with the twins. I'm like, 'What do you guys think you're doing? You two in. Avyn, go.' I used her name, so she knows I'm pissed. She picks up the ball and comes over to me. Says, 'I tried changing your mind so you wouldn't need to be so mad when we came back out here.' Like she was doing it for me, to make me feel better for when she did whatever she wanted to do anyway. Then, Twins are all upset. Tailor's sobbing, apologizing, and apologizing. Avyn's just shrugging."

Shepard grinned. "Okay. I'll give you that. Could be a little bit of me there."

"A bit?" James laughed. "She's always doing crap like that. I try to keep the harsh face, ya know, but uh, yeah … sometimes. You got your work cut out. Be glad you only got one."

"Gone in for the ultrasound yet? Do you get to recycle all the twin outfits?"

"Lola … don't even go there." James moved crackers around on his plate and dug for the last slice of salami. "Those sleepless nights again? It's illegal for me to keep prisoners up for that long."

"Maybe you need to be more careful about your, uh, 'talking and … stuff.'"

James chuckled eating a cracker. "Just, can't be twins this time. All I'm hoping for."

"Triplets then."

"Lola, stop."

"Hey. Just be glad it's even an option."

James looked up from his plate with round eyes. "Uh … Yeah, Lola. Guess so."

Shepard grabbed another cracker of his plate.

"What? Stop," he said.

"Coming over tomorrow then?" Shepard asked.

"I'll see how Becca's feeling, but sure."

"Good. The twins can entertain Avyn. She's bored. Keep hearing about it. But, I'll be thinking of some repercussions for that little stint. She tries to get the sentence commuted, I'm telling her 'I have to respectfully disagree.'"

"I like it, Lola. Sure you don't want to adopt some six year old twins? Or, you wait five months, probably have an infant up for grabs."

"When you leave my house tomorrow, I'm counting heads. Already got my hands full."

"You know what they say about the apple and the apple tree, Lola."

"I know. Kharma. Still unfair."

Shepard bid everyone good night and reception hall exit. As she neared the doors and heard the roar, she grimaced. It looked like she'd be beating back the reporters to get home.

XXX

Shepard turned down the Citadel hallway and looked over her shoulder. The last reporter had finally broken off when she's switched back through an ancillary council chamber. The media was restricted from being back in the Councilor's housing, but you couldn't get everyone to play by the rules, especially reporters. Her apartment door stood at the end of the hallway.

"Shepard."

Shepard stopped short. She twisted around. Liara stepped out of the shadows of an intersecting hall and strolled over.

"Liara! Where'd you … why weren't you at the reception? Why're you here?"

"I wanted to catch you alone. Too many people suspect who I am. Thought it might look bad for you in front of the cameras."

"Ah, right. Tonight on ANN: What is the human councilor and alleged shadow broker talking about at the reception banquet? Tune in to find out."

"Maybe not ANN, Shepard. The gossip sites."

"They'd have to take a breath from criticizing my outfits," Shepard said. "If they found sources close enough to hear what we actually talk about, I think they'd be rather disappointed."

"Perhaps they'd assume there's something to read between the lines."

"The human councilor and alleged shadow broker exchange banana bread recipes, but what does it really mean? War with the rachni? Tune in to find out."

Liara gave a soft smile. "I was at Bakara's ceremony, in the audience. You did it."

"Little help here and there." Shepard smiled at her. "Hey. Miranda, James, and Becca are coming over for dinner tomorrow. My house on Earth. You should come."

"Miranda, James, and Becca. That's all?" Liara asked quietly.

"And you, if you'll come. Anita too. You've met her. And, the kids. Fair warning on that. The twins and Avyn - matchsticks and oxygen. Gets loud."

Liara pulled up a small smile. "Yes. Perhaps."

"But no. No, in the end."

Liara gave a limp shrug. "Perhaps."

"I'll lock the kids up. Could send them down to the beach. We can have nice adult conversation over wine."

"It sounds nice, Shepard."

"But still no?"

Liara shrugged and looked down. "Perhaps."

"You never come over." Shepard frowned. "Why?"

"I'm busy. A lot of responsibilities in my work."

"Sure …" Shepard studied her. "You should make time. Time for something else."

"Like you?" Liara said. "You don't miss it? The Normandy? The action?"

"Sometimes," Shepard admitted. "But I'm happy."

Liara nodded silently.

"Hey." Shepard took a deep breath and stepped in closer. "Tell me there's nothing to these rumors going around, Liara? Selling colony information to the Terminus slavers?"

Liara didn't say anything.

"Liara," Shepard said slowly. "If it's not true, deny it. That leak, everything I heard, I thought they're just slandering you."

"Where's did this leak come from? The media hasn't gotten wind of it. Why?"

Shepard stared at her then took a step back. "I repressed it. Our Council intel uncovered it. I didn't think it was true. Couldn't believe it. The slavers are paying you to repress their movements, sow misinformation to Council and Alliance sources, giving them the colonies security and population numbers? And that quarian massacre a few years back. You gave the ground terrorists the flotilla's reactor codes? Thousands died. And all the rest I heard … tell me it isn't true."

"Of course not," Liara said coolly.

Shepard touched her throat. "You know what slavers mean to me?"

"Yes. I'll talk to my sources in the Terminus System. If the Council sources are being fed lies, I'll send the what's reliable your way."

Shepard swallowed and stared unfocused at the wall in thought. "That would be … You're telling me this isn't true?" Shepard peered closely at her.

"Of course not." Liara held her gaze.

Shepard nodded slowly. "I hope not, Liara. Why were you so silent at first? You scared me."

"Thank you for repressing this … misinformation," Liara said.

"Right." Shepard frowned.

"There are things I should attend to," Liara said and moved to the corner of the intersecting hallway.

"It's not true?" Shepard repeated with a dry throat.

"No."

Shepard dropped her hand fall from her throat and nodded. "We should talk sometime. Soon. If you can't come to dinner, give me a rain check."

"Of course, Shepard."

She disappeared down the other hall. Shepard's eyes were stuck on the mouth of the hallway, and her heart beat in her ears. With a slow, long breath, she pulled her eyes away. Liara said it wasn't true. It wasn't true. Shepard walked down the hall to her Citadel apartment.

XXX

The door slid open on the dark Citadel apartment. Dim light projected through the window as Shepard moved inside. She tripped. She caught herself against the wall with a curse and snatched a model spaceship off the floor.

"Avyn," she growled and tossed it on the couch.

She flicked the lights on. The luggage was gone. Anita had already left then. She'd even taken Shepard's luggage. Perfect.

Shepard walked to the window. She looked out at the glittering arms of the citadel. A lot left to restore. Her eyes moved to the dark sections. Eventually, it'd be more than just council chambers and dignitary housing. One bar so far, and one place to eat. Someday it would be great again though. Until then, they'd rely on Earth.

Earth. Shepard folded her arms with a smile and looked out past the arms of the citadel. The green and blue globe filled most of the space in the background. Stars peeked through the narrow section of dark sky framing the bright orb. Her heart warmed, and Shepard backed up. She walked to her bedroom. If Anita had taken her bags, she only needed to grab a few things.

XXX

Shepard lifted her satchel off the floor of the shuttle and stepped out onto the grainy landing pad. Her hair whipped around her in the wind. The council-staff pilot gave her a smiling nod sped and lifted up against the background of dark mountains and swaying pine trees. Shepard turned back into the wind. The sky glowed a fiery red. A blazing line, all that remained of the dropping sun, burned on the very lip of the ocean. It reflected all the way to the sandy beach.

Shepard tightened her fingers on the satchel's handle and wandered to the ocean-worn, wooden railing running along the beach. It skirted the beach and rose up to the multistoried house on cliff in the distance. Wide sweeping decks encircled the glass walled middle story. The view over the ocean vista, even from inside the house, not on the deck, was breathtaking. Shepard smiled into the wind. Seagulls and ocean waves. No passing shuttles or cacophony of voices and bustling. No one else around for miles. Just the house and the ocean.

Shepard drew the scent of pine and salty beach into her lungs and picked her way along the railed pathway. White paint flaked off the weathered wood as her hand ran lightly along it. Shepard gazed up at the house as she neared, and her steps slowed. Anita's shuttle was missing. It should be on the landing pad right by the house. Shepard frowned, stopped, and flicking her Omni-Tool on. No messages. Shepard tapped her fingernails on the railing. She glanced back at the beach's landing pad where she'd been dropped off, then turned back to the empty pad by the house. Maybe Anita had stopped at the Vancouver apartment first to get something.

Seagulls squawked overhead, and Shepard's eyes turned to the ocean's horizon burning with sunset. Her eyes stopped on a shape in the sand. It wasn't a person, but it was large. She pressed up against the railing and squinted at it with a tilt of her head. Her breath slowed. She set her satchel in the sand and ducked under the railing. The peeling wood caught her hair as she came up on the other side. She smoothed it down in the wind as she walked down into the sand.

She stopped over a trail in the dry, powdery sand. She looked to her side. There were two trails. She followed them until the sand turned wet. The trails became imprints. Feet. Individual toes stood out into the sand above the footpads. Small prints trailed alongside much larger ones pressing deeper into the sand. Water already filled the heels. Shepard followed the footsteps to where they stopped in the wet sand. It looked like from here, they had turned back, skimming along the beach, and turning onto the walkway.

Shepard gazed at the last two set of footprints where the trail had turned back. The footprints had pressed in so deep the whole foot, even the arch, was visible for both the large and small set. Shepard lifted her head to what had drawn her attention in the beginning when she'd left the pathway.

Half way between the ocean and the footprints, towered an enormous sandcastle. It stood as tall as her probably, maybe taller. Towers and spires decorated the corners, and it was surrounded by a large moat partially washed away. One of the back towers nearest the ocean had melted in on itself. The tide must have come in, but it was going out now.

A smile brimmed on Shepard's lips. The castle's whole western half was starting to collapse where the tower had gone down. Shepard stepped on the pair of larger footprints. The little footprints with the small toes stood next to her as her boots sunk into the sand.

She focused on the castle and stretched a hand out. The air flared with blue light. Sand particles swirled in a glowing vortex rising off the beach. Shepard bit her lip and compacted it with both her hands. Grains of wet sand coalesced, sticking, and pressed into a cylinder at the base of the toppled tower. The castle's tower rose little by little as sand streamed up from the base around it.

The sand tower rose higher, but the sand was dribbled and loosened beneath as she built. Shepard frowned. It was starting to melt outward from the foundation. Shepard moved down from the top of the tower and compacted the tower's base. Her face scrunched with a frown. The tower top tipped and leaned to the side. Shepard couldn't pull a hand away from holding the base together to steady it or it would all cave in. The tower top started to slip.

The tower top burst with blue light. Shepard's eyes widened, her hands still holding the base pressed together. The tower top right itself, sand rose up in a swirling blue haze, and compacted the tower's peak. The sand pressed tighter, building, smoothing, and coalescing into a sharp, swirling spire.

Shepard snapped her head to the house. A faint blue glow shone in the distance from the deck overlooking the ocean. The glow faded away, and the tower's light faded away, except for the base where Shepard still held it. Shepard drew her hands away slowly, blue fading away, and it held. Her skin faded out. The tower stood solid.

Shepard raced back through the sand, almost tripping in the sand. She ducked the railing and sprinted up the pathway pumping her arms. Sand blew over the pathway and sprinkled against her boots as she spurred faster. She rushed past the empty landing pad by the house. Anita must have been sent home then.

Shepard burst through the front door into the house, ruddy with the glow of the sunset. Garlic tinged the air, intermingling with some savory meaty aroma. Shepard kicked her boots off by the door, spraying sand, and padded into the glass-walled living room. The door down the hallway stood partially open and dark. It was late. The sun set late in the summer this far north on the Pacific.

Shepard strolled to kitchen and looked over the granite countertop. The oven was on. A wine bottle stood on the bar further down the counter. A corkscrew, still holding the cork, rested at the base of a single, empty stemmed glass. The deck glowed bright with sunset from the glimpses she catch through the window between the kitchen cabinets. A warm trail of sunset projected on the wooden floorboards at the base of the counter from the glass patio door.

Shepard poured wine into the empty glass. The wine bottle label made her smile as she set it down. She almost forgot him buying it - Crystal wine from the Tuchanka market during the second week's tour of the south capitol. He must have kept it unopened after being called off to Kite Nests, saved it. If the strike had finally honed in on that slave lord, the Council was going to need his Spectre report sooner rather than later. It hadn't come through yet, but maybe that was by design. Back a week early. Shepard grinned into her cup and took a sip.

She swirled the wine in her glass and dragger her fingers behind her on the kitchen counter as she strolled to the patio door. As she neared the glass doors, the red-tinted deck expanded out in her vision. A silhouette leaned forward on the railing looking out at the ocean. Light refracted in the glass of wine resting on the rail in his fingertips. His head turned making his face a dark profile against the horizon. Shepard's smile widened. She opened the glass slider and stepped out.


End file.
